Georgia is set to face higher oil import costs starting January 2026, as Russia - the country’s main supplier of sunflower oil - significantly raises export duties. According to Russian media, citing the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, the export duty on sunflower oil will increase by 36.5%, rising from 8,214.5 rubles per ton in December to 9,298.6 rubles next year.
At the same time, the export duty on sunflower meal will drop to zero for the first time since October 2022.
The indicative prices used for calculating the duties are as follows: $1,200.2 per ton for oil (up from $1,169.5 a month earlier) and $195.7 per ton for meal (down from $210.9). The duty rate is set at 70% of the difference between the indicative price and the base price, calculated as the average market price over one month.
Russia introduced the floating export duty on sunflower oil in September 2021. Initially calculated in US dollars, it was switched to rubles in July 2022. The base price for oil is 82,500 rubles per ton, while for meal it is 15,875 rubles per ton. In August 2024, Russia extended the floating duty for two years, until September 2026, and later prolonged it again until August 31, 2028.
Russia remains Georgia’s leading sunflower oil supplier, and import data shows that costs have already increased in 2025. During the first 11 months of the year, Georgia imported 40,147 tons of oil worth $60.4 million. Although import volumes decreased by 3.5% year-on-year, the value rose to $35.6 million.
Of this total, 33,155 tons worth $50.25 million came from Russia, compared to 36,315 tons worth $37.5 million in the same period last year. Georgia also imports smaller quantities of vegetable oil from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and the United Arab Emirates.
