Russian grain exports surge defined April 2026 in global commodity markets. Russia shipped 4.6 million tons of major grain crops that month — a 1.8-fold jump versus April 2025. Furthermore, wheat, barley, and corn all posted exceptional gains. Moreover, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia emerged as the top buyers of Russian wheat. This strong performance exceeded the five-year April average and signals a clear turning point in the current season’s export dynamics.
Russian Grain Exports Surge: April 2026 Volume by Crop
In April, Russia exported 4.6 million tons of major grain crops — wheat, barley, and corn. This is a 1.8-fold increase compared to April 2025 (2.5 million tons). The data comes from monitoring by the Russian Grain Union.
As Elena Tyurina, Director of the Union’s Analytical Department, reported to Interfax, the crop-by-crop results were as follows:
- Wheat: shipments rose 1.6-fold to 3.96 million tons (up from 2.437 million tons a year earlier)
- Barley: shipments surged 26-fold to 337,000 tons (up from 12,500 tons)
- Corn: shipments increased 5.8-fold to 303,800 tons (up from 52,300 tons)
In total, since the start of the season (July 1, 2025), Russia shipped 46.9 million tons of grain. This compares to 48.1 million tons during the same period of the previous season. Of this total, wheat exports amounted to 41.5 million tons — virtually on par with the April total from the previous season.
Season Context and Wheat Export Forecast
Tyurina noted that the 4.6 million tons exported in April exceeded the average April figure for the last five years. That five-year average stands at 4 million tons. “However, this figure falls short of the record-breaking levels seen in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 agricultural seasons, when 6.6 million and 6.4 million tons of grain, respectively, were shipped in April,” she said.
Wheat exports also surpassed the five-year April average of 3.2 million tons. However, they remained below the April results of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, when 5.3 million and 5 million tons were shipped respectively. “Essentially, April marked the month when the lag in shipments came to an end, and exports either reached or surpassed the levels seen in the previous season,” the expert stated. “Thus, based on preliminary estimates, we can project that by the end of the current season (July 2025–June 2026), wheat shipments will total approximately 47.5 million tons — up from 45 million tons in the previous season.”
Wheat Destinations: Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia Lead
In April, for the first time this season, the number of countries purchasing Russian wheat grew. In total, wheat was shipped to 27 countries, compared to 21 a year ago. “Egypt remains the traditional leader, demonstrating a substantial surge in purchases — more than a threefold increase — reaching 997,000 tons, compared to 320,000 tons a year ago,” the expert reported.
According to her, shipments to Turkey remained stable, rising by 1.2% in April to reach 437,800 tons. “Despite the complex geopolitical situation in the Persian Gulf region, exports to Saudi Arabia surged 2.6-fold, reaching 326,000 tons — up from 126,500 tons a year ago,” Tyurina noted.
Furthermore, exports to Kenya increased 7.4-fold to 268,500 tons. Additionally, exports to Libya rose by 20% to 240,000 tons. Moreover, exports to Sudan grew 1.5-fold to 204,000 tons. Shipments to Sri Lanka totaled 110,000 tons — a 15-fold increase over last year’s volume. New export destinations in April included Mozambique (89,000 tons) and the UAE (68,700 tons). A year ago, no Russian wheat reached these countries. “It is also worth noting shipments to Latin American countries — destinations to which our wheat has not been supplied for a long time. These include Mexico, with 35,000 tons, and Brazil, with 130,000 tons,” the expert stated.
Barley, Corn, and Exporter Count in April
Barley was exported to four countries. Notably, for three of these — with the exception of Lebanon — there had been no shipments in April of the previous season. Specifically:
- Turkey — 101.7 thousand tons
- Iran — 96.5 thousand tons
- Libya — 58 thousand tons
- Lebanon — 27.5 thousand tons (2.2 times higher than a year ago)
Corn was shipped to three countries, none of which were among buyers a year ago. These included Iran, which received 183,000 tons; Turkey, with 106,000 tons; and Afghanistan, with 14.3 thousand tons.
Tyurina also reported that in April, the number of wheat-exporting companies stood at 35, compared to 45 a year earlier. “While a significant decline in the number of exporting companies had been observed since 2019, since January of this year, their numbers have stabilized at a level of 30 to 35 companies,” she noted.
Port Activity: Black Sea, Baltic, and River Ports
According to her, in April, Russian grain and legume crops went for export through 36 ports, compared to 25 in April of last year. “An increase in shipments was recorded across all ports in the Black Sea and Baltic regions. The highest throughput was handled by Novorossiysk, totaling 1.74 million tons — a 27% increase compared to April of the previous season, when 1.37 million tons were shipped,” the expert stated. “Offshore transshipment surged 2.2-fold to 904.5 thousand tons; shipments via Rostov-on-Don rose by 37% to 605 thousand tons; via Azov, they increased 2.3-fold to 448 thousand tons; and via Taman, they skyrocketed 11-fold to 346 thousand tons.” Shipments via Astrakhan — from where corn and barley were dispatched to Iran — reached 207 thousand tons.
River ports handling “river-sea” vessels also saw increased activity. Specifically, Kamyshin boosted its shipments 17-fold to 50 thousand tons. Additionally, Slavyansk increased its volume by one-third to 46.5 thousand tons. Furthermore, Volgograd handled 19 thousand tons — a significant turnaround, since at this time last year there were no shipments from its port whatsoever. In light of this, Tyurina welcomed the commencement of “river-sea” vessel reception at the Delo Group terminal in Novorossiysk. This facilitates the subsequent transshipment of grain onto ocean-going bulk carriers. “This initiative will foster an increase in grain shipments via ‘river-sea’ vessels from regions situated far from major seaports — such as the Volga region, for instance,” she noted.
Wheat Prices in April: A Mixed Picture
Addressing the market’s pricing landscape, Tyurina described the situation as mixed. Over the course of the month, European wheat prices declined by 1.3% (a drop of $3), settling at $236 per ton.
Amid reports of potentially lower yields, the price of U.S. wheat rose by 3.5% (or $9) to $267 per ton. The price of Russian wheat (FOB Novorossiysk) fluctuated between $238 and $240 per ton throughout the month. As of May 1, the price stood at $240 per ton — unchanged from the price recorded on April 1.
Producer prices rose by approximately 2% over the month. They reached 13,850 rubles per ton for Class 4 wheat (including VAT), up from 13,615 rubles. In dollar terms — driven by the strengthening ruble — the ex-works price climbed by 10.5%, rising from $167.6 to $185.2 per ton. “Conversely, purchasing prices on a CPT Novorossiysk basis showed a downward trend, declining by 2.6% over the month from 16,910 rubles to 16,468 rubles per ton,” the expert reported. “However, in dollar terms, these prices actually rose by 5.8%, climbing from $208 to $220 per ton.”
Russia’s Reputation as a Reliable Supplier and Season Outlook
Tyurina also noted that since the second half of April, Russian wheat has been trading on the global market without a discount relative to European wheat. Moreover, as of May 1, it was trading at a $4 premium. “This indicates that, in the current climate, price is no longer the decisive factor for importers when contracting for wheat purchases. The seller’s reputation has moved to the forefront. In other words, it was precisely Russia’s reputation as a reliable supplier — regardless of the geopolitical situation — that drove the increase in wheat sales during April,” she stated.
According to her, Russia retains strong export potential. Therefore, the expert forecasts that over the next two months — leading up to the conclusion of the current agricultural season — monthly wheat exports could range between 2 and 3 million tons.
Source: Zerno On-Line (Russia)