The key facts

  • September imports of American margarine to Russia grew 41-fold — to $184.7 thousand, a record level since at least 2001
  • Over January–September, supplies grew from $30.2 thousand to $380.4 thousand — more than 12-fold
  • Supplies are irregular: there were none at all in July and August 2026, while June saw $102.8 thousand

Record September figure

In September 2026, Russia increased its purchases of American margarine and spreads 41-fold compared with the same month last year — to $184.7 thousand, up from $4.5 thousand in September 2025. RIA Novosti reported this, citing data from the US Customs Service; the figures were also cited by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru. This is the highest value since at least 2001 — earlier monthly statistics are not published.

Irregular pattern of supplies

Despite the sharp relative growth, supplies remain unstable: there was no imports at all in July and August 2026, while in June it amounted to $102.8 thousand. Over the first nine months of the year, total purchases reached $380.4 thousand, compared with $30.2 thousand in the same period of 2025 — an increase of more than 12 times.

Russia's place in the global market

On the scale of the global market, Russia's role is small: in September the US exported $39.3 million worth of margarine, and $305.8 million over January–September. The largest buyers were Canada ($11.8 million), Mexico ($8.6 million) and the Netherlands ($5.5 million); they are followed by Cuba ($1.9 million) and Ireland ($1.2 million).

Context and caveats

This is not the only example of sharp relative growth in mutual food trade: earlier, Life.ru reported record purchases of Russian cheese by the US — $133.8 thousand over the first five months of 2026. The economist cited there noted that such spikes in statistics may be explained by the low base effect: even a small absolute increase in supplies yields a multiple percentage growth. In absolute terms, the September record ($184.7 thousand) remains modest against the backdrop of total American margarine exports, which confirms the limited scale of this trade direction. It was also previously reported that the US supplied Russia more than three times more flavor and aroma food additives over three quarters, while Russia, in turn, was reducing imports of American clothing.