Russia's wheat exports to Kenya hits 5-year high as Africa's demand surges
Kenya is buying more wheat from Russia than ever before, underscoring Moscow's growing influence over Africa's food supply chains at a time when many countries are grappling with inflation, food security concerns, and rising import bills.
Black News 
![Wheat is loaded aboard a cargo ship in the international port of Rostov-on-Don to be shipped to Turkey, on July 26, 2022. [Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images]](https://ocdn.eu/pulscms/MDA_/a6861ba6bd5779d9a20e9752d0903ce0.jpg)
Kenya is buying more wheat from Russia than ever before, underscoring Moscow's growing influence over Africa's food supply chains at a time when many countries are grappling with inflation, food security concerns, and rising import bills.
- Kenya imported about 1.4 million tonnes of Russian wheat by late May, already surpassing last season's total shipments.
- The East African nation now accounts for roughly 7% of Russia's grain exports to Africa, reinforcing its position as a key market.
- Russian agricultural exports to Africa exceeded $7 billion in 2024, driven by rising demand for grain and processed food products.
- Growing wheat shipments to Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, and Cameroon point to Moscow's expanding influence in Africa's food trade.
Russian wheat exports to Kenya rose 10% year-on-year during the first five months of the 2025/26 agricultural season, reaching approximately 1.4 million tonnes by late May, according to Russia's agricultural export agency, Agroexport.
The figure has already surpassed the 1.3 million tonnes shipped during the entire previous season and is second only to the record 1.7 million tonnes exported to Kenya in the 2023/24 season.
The increase highlights Kenya's growing reliance on Russian grain as the East African nation seeks to meet domestic demand for wheat, a key ingredient in bread, pasta, and other staple foods. Agroexport said Kenya now accounts for about 7% of Russia's grain exports to Africa, making it one of Moscow's most important agricultural markets on the continent.
The development comes amid a broader expansion of Russia's agricultural trade across Africa. According to Agroexport adviser Alexander Yakuba, the value of Russia's exports of finished agricultural products to African countries has more than doubled over the past five years.
Russian agricultural exports to Africa exceeded $7 billion in 2024, representing a 19% increase from the previous year. While wheat and other grains remain the foundation of the trade relationship, exports of higher-value products such as animal feed, yeast, soft drinks, tea and coffee concentrates, and molasses have also grown significantly.
Moscow expects the trend to continue. Agroexport projects Russia's agricultural exports to Africa could exceed $7.5 billion by 2030, driven by demand for grain, vegetable oils, livestock products, processed foods, and fish.
Kenya is not alone in increasing purchases. Russian wheat exports to Egypt have climbed 19% this year, while shipments to Sudan have surged 78%. In Central Africa, exports to Cameroon reached 137,000 tonnes worth $32 million in 2025, more than triple the volume recorded a year earlier.
Analysts at Russian railway operator Rusagrotrans said countries across the Middle East and North Africa remain the largest buyers of Russian wheat, partly because Russia enjoys logistical advantages in serving those markets.
The latest figures suggest Russia is steadily strengthening its position as one of Africa's most important food suppliers, a trend that could have growing implications for the continent's food security, trade relationships, and economic ties with Moscow in the years ahead.
