Russian buckwheat overtakes Canadian buckwheat: an unexpected leader in US supplies
In January-October 2025, the Russian Federation took the first place among the suppliers of buckwheat to the United States. This is evidenced by US customs statistics, according to which supplies of Russian buckwheat totalled $1.8 million, while Canadian buckwheat was worth $1.6 million.
Thus, for the first time since 2022, Russia topped the list of exporters of this grain to the US market. Back then, the volume of purchases from Russia reached $3.3 million. Despite the modest absolute figures, Moscow presents this result as a symbol of the «failure of sanctions» and proof of the demand for Russian products in the West.
For comparison, the US imported buckwheat from Ukraine for only $155.3 thousand, from China - for $121.7 thousand, and Lithuania closed the top five with $119.7 thousand. The real scale of trade remains minimal, but the information effect for the Russian Federation is significant.
Experts noted that this result is not due to the growth of demand for buckwheat in the United States, but to the peculiarities of trade policy. As noted in the US trade reports, the duties imposed under Donald Trump's presidency have made it difficult to import agricultural products from a number of countries, while Russia has retained the ability to supply duty-free non-sanctioned goods. As a result, the aggressor country took advantage of trade windows that were closed to other exporters.
Russia, USA, trade, sanctions
