Russia Developing Agricultural Export Trade With North Korea

Russia expanded its assortment of agricultural exports to North Korea in 2024, with the country relaxing some of its covid-era restrictions. Russia resumed exporting sunflower oil, pork, frozen fish and soybeans to North Korea, with wheat, sugar and sunflower oil immediately becoming the top three agricultural exports to the country.

The Russian Agroexport Center has said that Russia exported a total of 22,000 tonnes of agricultural products to North Korea in 2024, with wheat flour accounting for 69% of exports, sugar second with 10%, and sunflower oil third with 6%.

There are plans to increase this further, with a Russian government order being signed in March to start negotiations between Russia’s Agriculture Ministry and North Korea’s Agriculture Commission in the bilateral agribusiness sector.

Contacts between the two countries on most areas of agriculture have intensified recently. The chairman of North Korea’s agriculture commission, Ri Chol Man and the deputy chairman of the country’s import-export quality control and quarantine commission, Kim Su Chor visited Russia in late 2024.

Agroexport said the signing of the agreement will enable Russia to expand exports of fertilizer, seeds and machinery, as well as offer comprehensive solutions, from greenhouse systems to processing equipment. The agency said that “North Korea needs basic agricultural resources, which means Russian companies can occupy a stable niche on a market with minimal competition. An additional effect will be the development of logistics routes to North Korea through the Russian Far East.”

While most bilateral trade is currently taken up with military support and development, there are opportunities in North Korea for Russian agriculture, agricultural equipment, and the pharmaceutical sectors. There may also be opportunities in North Korean mining. The main issue is that being cash poor, much DPRK trade is conducted on a barter basis, meaning some imagination is required to enable access to a unique, yet awkward market on Russia’s doorstep. Government connections are vital.