Russia doubles wheat exports to African country

Rising milling capacity in Sudan is boosting demand for grain, Agroexport has said

Russian wheat shipments to Sudan have more than doubled, the Russian agriculture export agency Agroexport said on Tuesday. 

Exporters delivered about 1.7 million tons since the start of the 2025/26 season, compared to 0.7 million tons over the same period a year earlier. That volume has already exceeded the roughly 1.1 million tons shipped during the entire previous season. 

The increase is attributed to the restart of several mills in Sudan, which has boosted demand for imported grain while reducing reliance on flour supplies. 

Agroexport, citing data from Sudan’s central bank, said wheat imports in 2025 were estimated at 1.7 million tons, marking an 82% increase year-on-year, while flour purchases fell from 0.7 million tons to 0.5 million.

READ MORE: Russia boosting Africa support with new food shipments – media

“Nevertheless, current wheat import volumes remain significantly lower than the level before the conflict in the country began in 2023. Thus, in 2022, wheat imports were at 2.7 million tons, and flour imports were at approximately 150,000 tons,” Agroexport analysts said, adding that if production capacities continue to recover, wheat imports are expected to gradually return to previous levels. 

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Meanwhile, Egypt has become a key importer for Russian wheat, with its share of Moscow’s exports reaching a record 21% in the 2024/25 season, exceeding 9.4 million tons, Agroexport reported in March. Russia shipped about 6.5 million tons to the country between July and February of the 2025/26 season and a further increase is expected. 

The Russian share of grain supplies to the African market has reached a record 40%, according to remarks made at an international conference on Africa’s food sovereignty held in Ethiopia in November. 

In the first quarter of 2025, exports to Nigeria increased fivefold year-on-year, while deliveries to Morocco doubled. Shipments to Mozambique surged nearly twelvefold, with notable growth also recorded in Cameroon and Burundi, where imports rose more than twofold and nearly tenfold respectively. Russia also resumed exports to Togo for the first time since 2022. 

In 2024, Russia became the leading wheat supplier to Morocco after overtaking France, which had long dominated the market.