December 21, 2010

Russian grain yield seen below government estimate

Russia's 2010 grains harvest is likely to be lower than the 60.3 million tonnes estimated by the government on drying and cleaning losses, SovEcon said.

According to the Moscow-based researcher, the harvest may be between 59.1 million and 59.5 million tonnes in net weight. If as little as 5% of the gross weight is lost during drying and cleaning, which would be an "historic" achievement, the crop may reach 60.2 million tonnes, SovEcon said.

Russia, which harvested 97 million tonnes of grains in 2009, experienced its worst drought in a half century this year.