Russian wheat exports outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were 4.52 million tonnes in January-August 2005, up sharply from 2004 and close to 2003 volumes, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) said on Monday.
August non-CIS exports rose sharply to 1.17 million tonnes from 0.69 million in July and 0.51 million in August 2003. Analysts have said August exports surged on low domestic prices.
The country exported 1.12 million tonnes to non-CIS countries in the first eight months of last year as, from the first half of January to May, an import tariff of 0.025 euros per kg of wheat and rye was in force, and shipments restarted only from June.
Russian grain exports declined last year following a fall in the harvest to 67.2 million tonnes in 2003 from 86.6 million in 2002 and the introduction of the tariff.
Russia harvested a total of 78 million tonnes of grain in 2004. Wheat output rose to 45.3 million tonnes from 34.1 million in 2003. This year the country expects to harvest no less grain than last year.
Russian non-CIS wheat exports were 4.60 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2003.
An FCS statement said Russia's total wheat imports declined to 295,700 tonnes in the first eight months of 2005 from 736,300 in the same period of 2004, with most of the cereal coming from the CIS.
The statement said Russian non-CIS imports of barley, maize and sunflower oil declined, while imports of red and poultry meat rose.
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