Russian Agriculture Ministry lowers wheat price limits for interventions in 2026/27 season
MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - Russia's Agriculture Ministry has lowered the minimum and maximum prices for wheat at which purchasing and commodity interventions can be conducted in the 2026/2027 farming season (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027).
The prices for rye have been raised, while the prices for barley have been left unchanged, according to a ministry order posted on the official website for legal information. The order was signed on February 24 and registered by the Justice Ministry on March 27.
The prices have been set for all Russian regions and cleared with the Federal Antimonopoly Service.
The floors for minimum prices for purchasing interventions will be 14,630 rubles per tonne with VAT and 13,300 rubles without VAT for Class 3 wheat (14,850 rubles and 13,500 rubles in 2025/2026); respectively 13,970 rubles and 12,700 rubles for Class 4 wheat (14,190 rubles and 12,900 rubles); 12,320 rubles and 11,200 rubles for Class 3 or higher rye (11,770 rubles and 10,700 rubles); and 12,540 rubles and 11,400 rubles for barley (12,540 rubles and 11,400 rubles).
The ceilings for maximum prices for commodity interventions will be 16,060 rubles per tonne with VAT and 14,600 rubles without VAT for Class 3 wheat (16,390 rubles and 14,900 rubles in 2025/2026); respectively 15,400 rubles and 14,000 rubles for Class 4 wheat (15,620 rubles and 14,200 rubles); 13,530 rubles and 12,300 rubles for Class 3 or higher rye (12,980 rubles and 11,800 rubles); and 13,750 rubles and 12,500 rubles for barley (13,750 rubles and 12,500 rubles).
Price limits for grain for purchasing and commodity interventions in Russia are set annually, regardless of whether interventions will be conducted or not, in line with the law on the development of agriculture.
Russia introduced the mechanism of commodity and purchasing interventions, where grain is either sold from the state intervention fund or purchased by the state, respectively, in 2001 with the aim of stabilizing prices on the grain market and supporting farmers. When prices spike, the government sells grain from the state fund, thus curbing price growth, and when prices fall it mops up excess grain from the market to firm up prices.
It was reported earlier that the fund has about 4 million tonnes of grain, much of which is wheat.
At the end of December 2024, the government approved the sale of up to 3 million tonnes of wheat, rye and barley from its reserves in 2025. Commodity interventions were conducted through June 2025. The government sold 282,180 tonnes of grain for 3.7 billion rubles in the period from January 27 to June 30, 2025, data from the National Mercantile Exchange showed.
