Latvia plans 300% tariff on Russian and Belarusian grain shipments and processing

Latvia plans to make Russian and Belarusian grain transit economically unattractive by imposing a 300% tariff on shipments and processing. The government also wants mechanisms to identify grain potentially taken from occupied Ukrainian territories and impose sanctions on its circulation.

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said Latvia should be able to inspect transit cargoes and cooperate with Ukrainian representatives and laboratories to establish the origin of grain. He said Latvia was seeking a unified position among the Baltic states so that “Russian grain does not use the region’s infrastructure.” Kulbergs has already contacted Estonia’s prime minister and plans to speak with Lithuania’s government leader.

The coalition agreed on measures to restrict Russian and Belarusian grain transit through Latvia while prioritizing Latvian farmers’ interests. Arvils Ašeradens of New Unity supported the proposals and said Russian grain should not transit Latvia. He also called for particular attention to grain originating in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Artūrs Butāns of the National Alliance said his party had prepared amendments to the Agriculture and Rural Development Law that would fully block Russian grain transit through Latvian ports and infrastructure. He said the tariff should not primarily generate additional revenue, but make transit uneconomic. Economy Minister Viktors Valainis said decisions should first protect Latvian farmers’ access to ports and transport infrastructure during the most favorable export periods.

The article says Russian exporters have begun shifting deliveries from the Black and Azov seas toward the Baltic after Ukrainian attacks on ships and port infrastructure. Russia exported 46.3 million tonnes of grain through Black Sea and Azov Sea ports in the July 2025 to June 2026 export season, representing 90% of its exports, while one million tonnes moved through Russian Baltic ports. Since the new season began, demand for transport to Russian Baltic ports had reached five million tonnes by mid-August 2026, nearly matching the six million tonnes reported for Novorossiysk and Tuapse.

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Russian grain does not use the region’s infrastructure.