20 march 2024 — 16:00
In January, Russia reduced grain exports to the European Union by almost half compared to December, while still remaining in the top three suppliers to the association, RIA Novosti reported, citing European statistics.
Ukraine was the main supplier of grain to the EU at the beginning of the year – its supplies increased by 35%, to 2.6 million tons. The second was Canada, which reduced supplies by 25% to 271 thousand tons. Russia closed the top three, supplying about half the December volume – 108 thousand tons.
The top five suppliers also include Moldova (93 thousand tons) and the United Kingdom (77 thousand tons). In general, the EU increased grain purchases by 12% in January to 3.4 million tons.
Farmer protests are currently taking place in the EU, the first began back in 2019 in the Netherlands against the background of stricter "green" regulation in the country. In 2023, the protests have already spread to other countries, and by the end of the year they covered 12 states. In addition to the "green" agenda, farmers are protesting against low prices for their products due to the import of Ukrainian goods, expensive fertilizers and fuel, and insufficient budget funding.