Lithuania to hold Russian grain exports for months over fears of stolen Ukrainian crops

The new customs requirements will take effect next week, an official from Lithuania's Agriculture Ministry told Reuters on Nov. 9.

The restrictions cover wheat, barley, corn and sunflower seeds exported through Klaipeda from Russia or Belarus. Lithuania began testing such shipments in September but will now withhold customs clearance until the results are available.

"The tests can take two months or more," the official said. "If the declared origin is found to be fraudulent, the shipment will have to be returned or destroyed."

Lithuania lacks a laboratory capable of performing the necessary tests, meaning samples must be sent abroad. Exporters will have to cover the costs of testing, storage and any subsequent return or destruction of shipments.

The measures come as Russia increasingly relies on Baltic export routes following Ukrainian attacks on shipping and port infrastructure in the Black Sea.

Russian and Ukrainian wheat shipments through ports in the Azov and Black Sea region have been virtually at a standstill since mid-August, Reuters reported.

Matt Ammermann, a commodity risk manager at StoneX, said Russian wheat exports were running at roughly half their usual volume despite Moscow's attempts to find alternative routes.

EU sanctions prohibit imports of Russian grain but still allow it to transit through the bloc.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania proposed an EU-wide ban on Russian and Belarusian grain transit in October. Estonia has already introduced restrictions of its own.

The Baltic states suspect that some grain exported by Russia may have been harvested in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation. Moscow has not commented on the legal status of grain harvested in those regions.