"Rosselkhoznadzor: focus on spring wheat from Siberia for export to China due to difficulties with winter wheat."

The work on resolving the export of winter wheat from Russia to China continues, but it is essential to focus primarily on expanding the supply of spring wheat from Siberian regions. This was stated by the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) Sergey Dankvert in an interview with Interfax.

He noted that it is necessary to more actively utilize the export potential of spring wheat, considering that this type of wheat is grown in Siberia.

Efforts to open the Chinese market for winter wheat face certain difficulties. In June, Rosselkhoznadzor held a series of negotiations with representatives of China and is currently preparing additional information for the Chinese side.

Dankvert emphasized that the opening of the Chinese market for winter wheat does not guarantee an immediate increase in shipments due to logistical challenges. He stressed that the main supplies of winter wheat come from the European part of Russia, while spring wheat is grown beyond the Urals. Therefore, an efficient logistics system is required.

Sanctions have led to changes in traditional logistics routes, resulting in the revitalization of alternative transport corridors like the North-South Transport Corridor. Dankvert noted that ports that were not previously considered for grain deliveries are now actively involved, indicating changes in international trade.

The issue of exporting winter wheat from Russia to China was also discussed at the All-Russian Grain Forum. A representative from China highlighted the country's interest in expanding cooperation but mentioned that it has political implications.

Earlier, Russian and Chinese parties discussed the possibility of starting supplies to the Chinese market of more than 14 new types of domestic grain and other plant products, including winter wheat and barley, as reported by Rosselkhoznadzor.

During the 12th meeting of the Russian-Chinese permanent working group on cooperation in the field of veterinary surveillance, phytosanitary control, and food product safety, special attention was given to the possibility of starting shipments of the mentioned products to the Chinese market.

Since the beginning of the year, Russia has delivered 2.2 million tons of grain and processed products to China, exceeding the previous year's figure by 7%. The share of grain crops in the export structure has increased from 18% to 40%, according to Ruslan Khasanov, director of the Grain Quality Assessment Center, cited by pole.rf. Barley is the key exported crop this year, with shipments increasing sixfold to 377,000 tons.

Currently, only spring wheat and barley, which are predominantly produced in the eastern part of the country, are allowed to be imported from Russia to China. Their transportation through southern ports is costly, confirmed Khasanov. Therefore, from a logistics standpoint, Russia does not currently have significant advantages over other major wheat exporters to China, such as Canada, Australia, and the USA.

"Allowing Russian winter wheat and barley into the Chinese market will create new export opportunities for Russian suppliers," he added.