Latvia did not import any cereals and cereal products from Russia in the third quarter of this year, according to data released by the State Revenue Service.

Latvia's parliament (Saeima) adopted amendments to the Law on Agriculture and Rural Development at the end of February, which temporarily banned the importation of Russian and Belarusian agricultural production and feed, including via third countries.

In the EU, duties on cereal imports from Russia and Belarus have been suspended since 1 July, whereas until then they were largely duty-free

In the first half of the year, Latvia imported 214.8 thousand tonnes of cereals and cereal products from Russia, 2.7% more than in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Russian transit of cereals and their products through Latvia in January-September increased by 1.9% to 1.388 million tonnes compared to the same period a year earlier, with 953.2 thousand tonnes of wheat and triticale, 199.3 thousand tonnes of maize, 220.2 thousand tonnes of barley, 8.7 thousand tonnes of rye and 3.6 thousand tonnes of oats.

In 2023, Latvia's imports of cereals and cereal products from Russia increased by 60% to 423.7 thousand tonnes, while their transit through Latvia increased 2.2 times to 2.137 million tonnes.