Russia opens Mauritanian market with first dairy exports in 2025

MAURITANIA – Russia has taken a significant step in expanding its agricultural trade with Africa by beginning dairy exports to Mauritania in 2025.

According to the Russian Agriculture Ministry’s Agroexport center, this marks the first time Russian dairy producers have accessed the Mauritanian market, signaling new opportunities for both countries.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry’s Agroexport stated that Russian exports totaled 80 tonnes worth nearly US$190,000 in 10M 2025.

The country also exported yeast to Mauritania at over 75 tonnes worth nearly US$170,000 in the same period.

The peak in Russian export revenue to Mauritania was in 2020, when Russia supplied agricultural products, mainly wheat, worth over US$31 million.

Recent efforts by Moscow to build closer ties with Mauritania fit into Russia’s push for greater presence, both security- and economy-wise, on the African continent.

In early 2023, for the first time in the history of bilateral trade and economic relations, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, together with a delegation of Russian businessmen, visited Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

The program, organized as part of the Russian Business Week in North Africa, included a Russian-Mauritanian business forum, a meeting of the Russian-Mauritanian working group on business-level interaction, bilateral meetings on business interests, and visits to enterprises and organizations.

Russian reports 16% increase in dairy exports to new markets

The new market comes after the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation reported that Russia’s dairy industry is experiencing strong growth in export markets, with overseas sales rising by 16 per cent since the start of the year.

This positive trend follows an 18 per cent increase in the value of dairy exports throughout the previous year.

The Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Oksana Lut, highlighted the sector’s success and explored opportunities for further expansion.

The primary export destinations for Russian dairy products remain within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), along with significant sales to Uzbekistan and China. However, producers are actively exploring new markets to diversify their reach and increase export volumes.

In particular, the exports of dry milk whey increased the most, by 37 per cent, followed by ice cream with a 23 per cent increase, fermented milk products with an 18 per cent increase, and cheese and cottage cheese with an 18 per cent increase.

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