The increase in grain exports by large companies based in Black Sea deep-water ports is accompanied by a decrease in grain shipments by small companies from shallow ports of the Azov region.
The share of direct shipments from the ports of Azov in the total volume of wheat exports from Russia for the period July-December 2020 fell to 12 per cent compared with 24 per cent in the same period the year before, according to Refinitiv Trade Flows data.
A significant decrease in demand for shipments from the Azov ports was due to an increase in shipments through deep-water ports based on changes in the Turkish purchase policy. Turkey is one of the world largest importers of Russian wheat.