Russia has resumed exportation of wheat to Algeria after more than five years. According to Russian watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, the first shipment of 30,000 tons of wheat is on its way to the North African nation.
A second ship is currently being loaded in the Black Sea port of Taman, and will set sail in the near future. The world’s largest wheat exporter has been lobbying for access to the Algerian market, and is planning to send two vessels with a total of 60,000 tons of wheat in September.
The shipments mark the first major supply of Russian wheat to Algeria since 2016, excluding a cargo of 28,500 tons shipped in June. The Russian agriculture safety watchdog also said that Algeria’s export potential exceeds seven million tons.
Quality characteristics
“The quality characteristics of the grain, which fully meet the country’s requirements for imported products, were confirmed by specialists. We are confident that we will significantly increase export volumes to the country, which is one of the world’s top 10 grain buyers,” the regulator added.
Russian wheat producers had no access to Algeria, the world’s sixth-biggest wheat importer, until October last year. Back then, the North African country eased the sanitary terms regarding grains, which made it possible to offer wheat from the Black Sea with higher protein.
In total, Russia exported 79,000 tons of grain and its processed products to Algeria in the agricultural year 2020-2021. The shipments included wheat, chickpeas, flax seeds, oat and buckwheat flakes, and millet. Russia may boost supplies to Algeria to up to 1 million tonnes of wheat in the 2021/22 marketing season
