Positive dynamics - Tatarstan has made an agricultural export leap to China: flax, peas, and rapeseed oil are breaking records.

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      Tatarstan made an agricultural export leap to China: flax, peas, and rapeseed oil are breaking records

      Tatarstan made an agricultural export leap to China: flax, peas, and rapeseed oil are breaking records (photo: pxhere.com)

      The Republic of Tatarstan demonstrated impressive growth in the volume of agricultural products and food supplies to the People's Republic of China in the first half of 2026, significantly exceeding the figures for the same period last year.

      According to RBC Tatarstan, citing data from the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic, agricultural products worth a total of $29.6 million were exported to China from January to June, while by mid-July 2025, this figure barely reached $12.6 million. Notably, the total export volume for the entire previous year was $38.9 million, and now, after just six months, the republic is already approaching this mark.

      Export Structure

      The largest share in the structure of Tatarstan's agricultural exports to China in the first half of the year was held by flax seeds, with supplies reaching $12.6 million—compared to $2.3 million a year earlier. The physical volume of exports of this crop increased by 5.7 times and exceeded 11.4 thousand tons. The second most significant commodity position was meal—this is a new direction that Tatarstan's agrarians began to explore this year, and over six months, the shipment volume already amounted to $7.3 million. Additionally, legumes worth $4.3 million, rapeseed oil worth $3.9 million, sugar products worth $2 million, and confectionery worth $222.6 thousand were exported to China. The ministry noted that the Chinese side shows significant interest in the direction of deep processing of grain. In physical terms, the export of dried peas increased by 3.8 times to 13.7 thousand tons, while the export of vegetable rapeseed oil increased by 4.5 percent.

      Quality as a Market Pass

      The Federal Center for Safety and Quality Assessment of Agricultural Products in the Republic of Tatarstan emphasized that China imposes strict requirements on imported products, regulating the absence of quarantine objects and strictly controlling residual amounts of pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and GMOs. The center's laboratories ensure continuous monitoring of each export batch, allowing agrarians to confidently bring domestic products to the Chinese market. According to the center, over the first half of the year, more than 30 thousand tons of grain products were shipped to China from Tatarstan.

      Plans and Nationwide Context

      The ministry explained that there is no separate planned indicator for the volume of exports specifically to China—this direction is integrated into the overall strategy for developing agricultural product supplies beyond the republic. The plan for the entire year of 2026 is $549.4 million, of which 40.3 percent, or $222 million, has already been shipped. Overall in Russia, as reported by the federal Ministry of Agriculture, the turnover of agricultural products with China increased by 33 percent in the first five months of the current year compared to the same period in 2025, while exports in monetary terms increased by 42 percent. It was previously reported that enterprises in Tatarstan increased the volume of dairy product exports by $7.4 million.

      Ariana Mikhaylova

      Published: 20.07.2026 12:52

      Edited: 20.07.2026 12:52