MOSCOW: Latvia, a member of the European Union and NATO, has emerged as one of the top five importers of Russian grain this marketing season despite strained political ties, as Moscow redirects exports from the Azov-Black Sea basin to Baltic ports.
Latvia imported 431,700 metric tons of Russian grain between July and October, consultancy ProZerno said. Iran remained the largest buyer of Russian grain during the period, importing 1.716 million tons, helped by strong purchases of barley and corn.
Russia has been reshaping its grain export routes after shipments through the Azov-Black Sea basin, its main export corridor, largely stalled in mid-August.
Deep-water Baltic ports have become the main outlet, particularly for wheat. According to railway carrier and grain analyst Rusagrotrans, the Baltic route accounted for 65percent of Russian grain exports in September.
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