The quota for the import of seed barley from abroad will decrease by 40% in 2026%

The Subcommittee on Customs, Tariff and Non-tariff Regulation of the government Commission of the Russian Federation supported the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce quotas for imports of seed malting barley from unfriendly countries in 2026. The supply limit will be reduced to 0.3 thousand tons against 0.5 thousand tons set for 2025. The Ministry of Agriculture must submit a draft resolution to the government by November 21, after which the distribution of quotas among market participants will traditionally take place in early 2026.

The reduction in seed imports reflects the course towards strengthening the role of domestic breeding.

According to Kontur-Focus, there are 498 barley seed farms in Russia, of which 92 farms grow malting barley. The companies were selected according to the main OKVED 01.11. Cultivation of cereals (except rice), legumes and oilseeds 01.64. Seed treatment for planting.

The acreage under spring barley in 2024 is about 7 million hectares (Rosstat), and in 2025 it decreased to 6.7 million hectares. The gross harvest of malting barley this year is estimated at 2 million tons, and in 2025 — about 2.1 million tons, which indicates the stability of production even with a moderate reduction in acreage.

Yuri Chistyakov, adviser to the Federal State Budgetary Institution Center for Grain Quality Assessment, reported on July 4, 2024 at the VIII Central Russian Grain Forum that in 2023 the institution examined 67.5% of the gross harvest of malting barley, that is, 1.4 million tons of grain. Of these, 36.2% of the crop was classified as first class, 49% as second class, 4.6% as third class, 1.1% as fourth class, and about 10% of the grain does not comply with GOST (Profibeer).

According to Sergey Senchikhin, a representative of the Rosselkhoznadzor in the Voronezh Region, 74% of all Russian barley, including brewing barley, is grown from seeds of foreign breeding. In Russia, 50 varieties of malting barley of domestic and foreign breeding are sown, while the main share is occupied by foreign varieties: Despina, Grace, Margret, Explorer, Kalkul, Traveler, Eiffel, Paustian and Laurika.

There is still a moderate pressure on prices in the market. The cost of malting barley is about 19,100 rubles per ton (EXW, StatBeer Index, spot deals for the 2025 harvest from 400 tons FCA, excluding VAT, European varieties, protein content 10-11%, grain size from 90%, germination capacity 95%, CFD), which is 35% higher than last year (14,200 rubles). 2024 was not an easy year for the agricultural sector: climatic disasters, a decrease in harvest and an increase in the key rate became the main limiting factors. Nevertheless, farmers have managed to create a reserve for 2025, sowing about 19 million hectares with winter crops (Rosstat), and Russian agricultural exports continue to set records in terms of volume.

The reduction in seed imports opens up opportunities for domestic breeding centers and producers, however, in the short term, the market may face a limited supply of high-quality malting barley, which keeps prices at a high level.