Insight Focus
- Russia imports around 95% of its beet seeds.
- Where will it source them from given recent sanctions?
- If you’d like us to answer one of your questions in an upcoming edition, please email will@czapp.com.
Where Does Russia Import its Beet Seeds from, and Will These Flows Continue?
Russia is the largest beet sugar producer in the world. However, it still needs beet seeds, 95% of which are imported.
Russia has all the seed it needs for the season ahead, with planting set to commence in April, but it’ll need more next season and beyond.
As it stands, these imports should be unaffected as the seeds are brought in as food products, which are exempt from the sanctions imposed following Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. The only real issue in the short-term should therefore be whether Russia can pay for the seeds considering the Ruble’s devaluation and restrictions on banks.
Russia also plans to develop plant breeding and seed production facilities, with one proposal boasting 148 plant breeding centres. Despite Russia’s ambitious plans, developing new seed varieties is a multi-year process and so it is unlikely to become self-sufficient in seeds any time soon.
Other Insights That May Be of Interest…
Is ‘Fortress Russia’ Self-Sufficient in Sugar?
Explainers That May Be of Interest…
