Latvia halved grain imports from Russia in 2024 - SRS

MOSCOW. Jan 9 (Interfax) - Latvia imported 214,800 tonnes of grain from Russia in 2024, down 50% from 2023 when the figure stood at 423,730 tonnes, the Latvian State Revenue Service (SRS) said.

The value of grain imported from Russia last year totaled 35.59 million euros, down 60%.

Latvia imported 191,828 tonnes of corn from Russia in 2024, down 34.9%, 9,717 tonnes of rye, down 81.8%, 8,744 tonnes of wheat and wheat-rye mixtures, down 88.3%, 4,400 tonnes of barley (a significant increase compared to the small amounts supplied in 2023), and 111 tonnes of triticale, down 88.8%.

Imports of fruit, vegetables, grains and feed products from Russia and Belarus for processing and final consumption in Latvia has been prohibited since March 8, 2024, the SRS said. The statistics include data on grain imported under the customs procedure for release for free circulation with code 42. This means the products were released for free circulation with a 0% VAT rate and delivered to recipients in other European Union countries.

According to SRS data, 1.877 million tonnes of grain were transited from Russia through Latvia in 2024, a decrease of almost 94%. This included 1.441 million tonnes of wheat and wheat-rye mixtures, down 94.3%, 199,249 tonnes of corn, down 36.7%, 220,218 tonnes of barley, up 1.9-fold, 8,708 tonnes of rye, down 83.6%, 4,288 tonnes of oats, up 1.6-fold, 2,615 tonnes of triticale, down 45.7%, and 726 tonnes of rice, down 31.4%.