Despite longstanding efforts to boost grain exports to China, Russia has yet to establish large-scale shipments, The Moscow Times reported on January 30.
The initiative, originally ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2016, has faced ongoing obstacles, and a $25 billion contract announced in 2023 has not led to significant deliveries.
Despite the so-called “grain corridor” existing for eight years and a $25 billion contract announced in 2023, China remains largely closed to Russian wheat. According to Arkady Zlochevsky, head of the Russian Grain Union, Beijing continues to prefer imports from Kazakhstan and Ukraine while imposing political barriers on Russian wheat.
“Russia's wheat is not being accepted by China, and this decision comes from the highest political level,” Zlochevsky stated during a press conference. Currently, only small border-region shipments reach certain Chinese provinces, while full-scale exports remain blocked.
“No matter how much we are told about phytosanitary conditions, border procedures, and so on, nothing will move forward without a top-level decision from the party and government. These are merely technical obstacles that cannot be overcome through negotiations between Rosselkhoznadzor and the Chinese phytosanitary service,” said Zlochevsky.
In 2023, Russia exported 71.3 million tons of grain, including 57.2 million tons of wheat, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Bangladesh remaining its top buyers.
The “New Land Grain Corridor Russia-China” project, launched in 2017, was initially planned to reach 52 million tons annually by 2028. In late 2023, a Novosibirsk-based exporter announced a deal with China Chengtong International for 70 million tons of grain, legumes, and oilseeds worth 2.5 trillion rubles, though its execution remains uncertain.
Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, estimates indicate that Russia has stolen between 4 million and 6 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied territories. The Wall Street Journal reported in September 2024 that Russia had sold nearly $1 billion worth of stolen grain.
Additionally, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated in October 2024 that over 180,000 tons of Ukrainian grain had been stolen through the port of temporarily occupied Mariupol alone.