Russia’s Grain Shipments to Africa Soar as European Supplies Dip

(MENAFN) Russia’s grain shipments to Africa have soared this agricultural season, with exports to North Africa climbing 10%, a senior Russian trade official revealed on Thursday. This growth marks Moscow’s expanding influence in a wheat market once dominated by European suppliers.

From July 2024 onwards, deliveries to North Africa approached 15 million tons, while grain shipments to Sub-Saharan Africa jumped 43% to reach 6 million tons, Ilya Ilyushin, head of Russia’s Federal Center Agroexport, announced during the All-Russian Grain Forum, according to a news agency.

“We reached 80% of Egypt’s wheat imports, 40% of Morocco’s, and 35% of Algeria’s,” Ilyushin detailed, adding that European grain exports fell by 30% over the same period, largely due to harvest setbacks.

This surge aligns with Algeria’s reported decision last October to bar French companies from bidding on a major wheat import contract. The state-controlled Algerian Inter-professional Office of Cereals directed bidders to exclude grain originating from France, resulting in a contract exceeding 500,000 tons going mainly to Russian suppliers.

The move coincides with escalating diplomatic strains between Algeria and France, fueled by disagreements including Paris’s backing of Morocco’s claim over the contested Western Sahara. In mid-January, a news agency quoted French officials stating that Algeria is pursuing a strategy aimed at eradicating France’s economic influence in the country. Trade between the two nations has reportedly plunged by as much as 30% since last summer.

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