Export duty on Russian wheat to rise 0.7% as of April 3, barley to surge 1.7-fold - Agriculture Ministry

MOSCOW. March 29 (Interfax) - The export duty on Russian wheat will rise 0.7% to 3,322.8 rubles per tonne as of April 3 from 3,298.6 rubles per tonne during the previous duty period, the Agriculture Ministry said.

The duty on barley will surge 1.7-fold to 1,002.3 rubles per tonne from 573.3 rubles per tonne, and the duty on corn will be 69.9 rubles per tonne after being zero the previous duty period.

Duty rates are based on indicative prices of $235.10 per tonne for wheat against $235.80 per tonne the previous duty period, $187.10 per tonne for barley versus $181.30 per tonne, and $172.70 per tonne for corn against $172.10 per tonne.

The latest duties are valid until April 9, inclusive.

The Russian government on June 2, 2021, implemented a grain damper mechanism that stipulates floating duties on exports of wheat, corn, and barley, as well as returning the funds received from the duties in order to subsidize agricultural producers. The duties are calculated weekly on the basis of price indicators based on the value of export contracts registered on the Moscow Exchange .

The government on June 30, 2022, adopted a resolution to convert the duties into rubles as of July 2022. The duty totals 70% of the difference between the baseline price and the indicative price.

The Agriculture Ministry on June 1, 2023, hiked the baseline price for calculating the export duty on wheat, the so-called cut-off price, to 17,000 rubles per tonne from 15,000 rubles per tonne, and raised the baseline price on barley and corn to 15,875 rubles per tonne from 13,875 rubles per tonne.