January 20, 2011

Russia reduces winter grains planting fields

For the 2011 harvest, Russia sowed 15.5 million hectares of winter sowings, down almost three million hectares compared with the planned areas.

In 2010, Russian agrarians harvested grains and leguminous plants throughout 33.3 million hectares, according to the preliminary data of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation.

The country produced 60.9 million tonnes of grains in clean weight (in 2009 - 97.1 million hectares), the average yield level totalled 18.2 c/ha, stated the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation on January 17.

In particular, wheat production totaled 41.5 million tonnes, rye - 1.6 million tonnes, barley - 8.3 million tonnes, corn for grain - 3.1 million tonnes, oats 3.2 million tonnes, leguminous plants - 1.4 million tonnes, rice - 1.1 million tonnes, millet - 131,000 tonnes, buckwheat - 339,000 tonnes.

Agricultural enterprises of all the categories produced flaxseed at the level of 356,000 tonnes, sugar beet (fabric) - 22.2 million tonnes, sunflower for oil seeds - over 5.3 million tonnes, rapeseed - 671,700 tonnes.

As of December 14, 2010, 7.8 million hectares (50.3%) of the sowings faced good conditions, 6.1 million hectares (39.4%) - satisfactory conditions and 1.6 million hectares (10.3)% - unsatisfactory condition.