Russia boosts wheat exports to Africa as France loses ground
Russian grain shipments to Africa have surged in the current agricultural season, with exports to North Africa up 10%, a top Russian trade official said on Thursday. The increase comes as Moscow gains ground in a wheat market previously dominated by European suppliers.
Since July 2024, grain deliveries to North Africa have reached nearly 15 million tons, while supplies to Sub-Saharan Africa surged by 43% to 6 million tons, Ilya Ilyushin, head of Russia’s Federal Center Agroexport, said at the All-Russian Grain Forum, TASS reported.
“We reached 80% of Egypt’s wheat imports, 40% of Morocco’s, and 35% of Algeria’s,” Ilyushin said. He noted that European grain deliveries dropped by 30% during the same period due to harvest issues.
The boost follows Algeria’s reported move last October to block French companies from bidding in a major wheat import tender. The state-run Algerian Inter-professional Office of Cereals reportedly instructed bidders not to offer grain of French origin, awarding the over 500,000-ton contract primarily to Russian suppliers.
The move came amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France over several issues, including the French government’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty claim over the disputed Western Sahara. In mid-January, Reuters cited French officials as saying that Algeria is adopting a policy that aims to wipe its former colonial power’s economic presence from the country. According to the news agency, trade between them has fallen by up to 30% since the summer.
Data released by FranceAgriMer last week show France’s agricultural exports to Africa fell by about €100 million ($114 million) in 2024, dropping from €5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) the previous year to €5.1 billion ($5.7 billion). Wheat shipments to Sub-Saharan Africa slumped by 16%, contributing to a 3.4% decline in regional exports, the French agency for agricultural and seafood product statistics and trade policy reported. Imports of French dairy products dropped by 33% in both value and volume, with Polish and Belgian suppliers reportedly filling the gap.
Despite Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) increasing its purchases from France by 3%, countries including Senegal, South Africa, and Cameroon recorded slight year-on-year declines, according to the May 23 report.
