Russia food import ban to affect small share of U.S. agricultural exports

Russia’s recently announced 1-year ban on imports of food from the United States should affect only relatively small shares of U.S. agricultural exports. In calendar year 2013, U.S. agricultural exports to Russia totaled $1.31 billion, or 0.8% of total U.S. agricultural exports of $162.16 billion. Major U.S. products shipped to Russia in 2013 were poultry meat and products ($312 million), tree nuts (primarily almonds; $172 million), soybeans ($157 million), and live animals (primarily cattle for breeding purposes; $149 million). Imports of non-food items, including soybeans and live animals, do not appear to be on Russia’s banned list. U.S. exports of poultry meat and products to Russia accounted for 5.6 percent of U.S. exports in this category in 2013, but U.S. poultry exports to Russia have declined in recent years because of restrictive tariff rate quotas and phyto-sanitary measures. Exports of high-quality breeding cattle to Russia accounted for 16.8 percent of U.S. live animal exports in 2013, and are imported by Russia to upgrade its cattle and dairy herds. Russia was the 16th largest U.S. export market for tree nuts, accounting for 2.3 percent of U.S. tree nut exports. This chart is based on ERS analysis of data from the Global Agricultural Trade System.

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