June 8, 2012

Russia's 2012-13 grain crop, exports to fall

Russia's grain crop and exports are expected to fall in the 2012-13 season, IKAR general director Dmitry Rylko said on Thursday (June 7).

IKAR sees the 2012-13 grain crop at 88.4 million tonnes, down from this season's 94.2 million tonnes, while exports could amount to 19.3 million tonnes, down from 27.4 million tonnes in the current season, Rylko said at the Russian Grain Union's XIII International Grain Round in a Black Sea resort town.

Wheat exports are forecast at 14.8 million tonnes in 2012-13, with closing grain stocks seen at 14.3 million tonnes. Rylko said Russia has exported 26.4 million tonnes of grain between the start of the current 2011-12 season and end of May, including 20.4 million tonnes of wheat.

The Russian grain export business saw consolidation during the season, Rylko added, when the top 10 traders covered 67% of export, 10 percentage points up from the season of 2009-10.

Wheat exports to Russia's main markets - Egypt and Turkey - are expected to reach record levels during this season, which started on July 1, 2011 and will end at the end of June, said Rylko.