Coriander seed prices are rising again. In our August price update we said supply was tight. Since then, the Port of Novorossiysk, Russia's main export gateway on the Black Sea, has largely stopped working. Russia is one of the world's largest coriander growers. Its exporters are now sending cargo through St. Petersburg and other Baltic ports instead, and that route is longer, slower and more expensive.
1. Novorossiysk is effectively closed
Drone attacks on Novorossiysk increased through the summer. In July, Russia stopped ships moving in and out of the port at night, and oil loadings at the Sheskharis terminal were suspended. On August 12, a large overnight attack damaged the port's three big grain terminals (KSK, NZT and NKHP), and all three stopped work. Together they handle about 24.6 million tonnes a year, roughly three quarters of Russia's grain terminal capacity on the Black Sea. Reports say the NKHP terminal could be out of action for months. Shipping on the Sea of Azov has also been restricted since July. As a result, more than 90% of Russia's Azov–Black Sea grain export capacity has been offline.
2. Trade routes are moving to St. Petersburg
Russian exporters are now sending cargo north to the Baltic. By August 18, requests to move grain by rail to Russia's Baltic ports for this season had reached 5 million tonnes. Last season, those ports handled only about 1 million tonnes. Terminals around St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga that were built for fertiliser and coal are being converted to handle agricultural cargo. Container lines are changing course too: on September 24, FESCO moved the Russian end of its Ankara container service from Novorossiysk to St. Petersburg. Coriander mostly ships in containers, so this matters directly for our market.
3. The Baltic route adds cost
Russia's main coriander-growing areas are in the south and the Volga region, close to the Black Sea and a long way from the Baltic. Sending seed to St. Petersburg means a much longer rail journey. From there, cargo bound for the Mediterranean, the Middle East or Asia has a longer sea voyage, often passing through Europe's busy northern ports. Baltic terminals also have limited capacity for farm cargo, so there is a lot of competition for space. Grain shipped from the Baltic is already being sold at a premium, and coriander faces the same extra freight and handling costs. Russian export offers have risen, and buyers who used to rely on Russian coriander are turning to other origins. That puts more pressure on supply that was already scarce.
4. What this means for buyers
Ukrainian exports are still disrupted, Black Sea stocks are low, and Russian supply now costs more and takes longer to arrive. We expect coriander prices to stay high, and possibly rise further, until new-crop supply from India and Argentina reaches the market. Our coriander is grown and shipped from Bulgaria, through Varna and Burgas, so none of our cargo goes through Novorossiysk. If coriander is part of your production plan for the coming months, we recommend confirming volumes and shipment dates early. Get in touch with our team for current prices and availability.
Sources
- Bloomberg: Key Russian port halts grain exports after Ukrainian attack (Aug 12, 2026)
- Baird Maritime: Port shutdowns push Russia into deeper grain export slowdown
- The Moscow Times: Ukrainian strikes halt most Russian grain exports in the Black Sea (Aug 17, 2026)
- Reuters via Euronext: Russian grain exports shift to Baltic as Black Sea trade disrupted (Aug 31, 2026)
- UkrAgroConsult: Russia converts Baltic and Arctic terminals for grain exports (Sep 22, 2026)
- Ports Europe: St. Petersburg replaces Novorossiysk on FESCO's Ankara route (Sep 24, 2026)