MOSCOW: Latvia, a member of the European Union and NATO, has emerged as one of the top five countries used to ship Russian grain this marketing season despite strained political ties, as Moscow redirects exports from the Azov-Black Sea basin to Baltic ports.
Some 431,700 tonnes of Russian grain were shipped via Latvia between July and October, consultancy ProZerno said.
The Latvian foreign ministry said in a statement that Russian grain imports have been banned in Latvia since 2024 and that while there is no transit ban in place yet, the government is working on that as either an EU or a national measure.
Iran remained the largest buyer of Russian grain during the period, importing 1.716 million tonnes, helped by strong purchases of barley and corn.
Russia has been reshaping its grain export routes after shipments through the Azov-Black Sea basin, its main export corridor, largely stalled in mid-August.
Deep-water Baltic ports have become the main outlet, particularly for wheat. According to railway carrier and grain analyst Rusagrotrans, the Baltic route accounted for 65 percent of Russian grain exports in September.
Exports are being shipped through both Russian Baltic ports and ports in the Baltic states, chiefly Latvia.
Estonia has banned the transit of Russian grain through its territory, while the Baltic states proposed earlier this month a European Union ban on Russian grain exports through the bloc.
Shipments via the Caspian Sea have also risen sharply, with most cargoes destined for Iran.
Egypt, once the largest importer of Russian wheat and a key destination for Black Sea shipments, imported 1.35 million tonnes of Russian grain between July and October, according to ProZerno.
Azerbaijan imported 545,000 tonnes and Nigeria 420,900 tonnes, placing them among the five largest buyers of Russian grain this season.