Russia Cuts Chinese Potato Imports by a Quarter as August Volumes Tumble

Russia’s potato imports from China fell to $1.8 million in August, down 25% year-on-year and roughly 2.5 times lower than in July 2026. The sharp month-on-month decline points to a rapid cooling of demand after a stronger midsummer. Russia remains the fifth-largest importer of Chinese potatoes, trailing Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

The pullback comes amid a mixed domestic picture: while national planted area is shrinking, strong harvests in southern regions such as Stavropol are supplying the market directly and reducing the need for foreign product. Combined with the seasonal arrival of the domestic crop, this has dampened import demand from China — though the scale of the year-on-year drop suggests the shift is more than purely seasonal. How the trend develops will depend on the size of Russia’s own harvest and the pace at which regional supply reaches the market through the autumn.