**Russia Sets New Wheat Export Record to Tanzania**
In a significant development for agricultural trade, Russia has achieved a record volume of wheat exports to Tanzania during the 2025/26 season. The Russian agriculture export agency, Agroexport, announced on Monday that over 850,000 tons of wheat were shipped to Tanzania, marking a 16% increase compared to the previous season and a staggering 47% rise above the five-year average.
Agroexport highlighted Russia's crucial role as a wheat supplier to Tanzania, noting that Russian exporters have been progressively enhancing their presence in the East African market in recent years. This trend reflects a broader strategy by Russia to strengthen its agricultural trade ties with various African nations.
According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Tanzania's total wheat imports for the 2025/26 season reached approximately 1.5 million tons. This figure represents an increase of 200,000 tons from the previous year, establishing a new record for the country.
The report from Agroexport also pointed out that countries within the East African Community (EAC) are becoming increasingly significant in Russia's wheat export strategy to Africa. The total shipments to the EAC were around 3.5 million tons for the 2025/26 season, reflecting a 26% increase from the prior year. This volume accounts for roughly 16-17% of Russia's total wheat exports to the African continent.
Among the EAC nations, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda are identified as the largest importers of Russian wheat. The rising demand for wheat in these countries underscores the growing reliance on Russian agricultural products in the region.
The record shipments to Tanzania come at a time when Russia is actively expanding its wheat exports across Africa. Recent data from Agroexport indicated that wheat exports to Kenya rose by 10% year-on-year, reaching around 1.4 million tons in the current season through late May. Additionally, exports to Egypt saw a notable increase of 19%, while shipments to Sudan surged by an impressive 78%.
In a statement made in May, Agroexport adviser Alexander Yakuba mentioned that shipments of Russian agricultural products to the African continent have grown by 22% over the past five years, surpassing $5 billion in 2025. While grain exports continue to dominate, there has been a notable increase in the delivery of value-added products, including animal feed, yeast, soft drinks, tea and coffee concentrates, and molasses. Agroexport projects that total agricultural exports to Africa could exceed $7.5 billion by 2030, indicating a robust growth trajectory for Russian agricultural trade in the region.
As Russia continues to solidify its position as a key player in the global agricultural market, the record wheat exports to Tanzania and the broader EAC region signal a significant shift in trade dynamics, with potential implications for food security and agricultural development in Africa.