August 2, 2010

 

Grain production in Russia reaches new record

Russia harvested 33 million tonnes of grain to July 29, an on-year increase of 1.6 million tonnes.

 

According to country's agriculture ministry, the reason for the higher harvest so far this year compared with 2009 is the current drought that has forced farmers to begin gathering the crop 7-10 days earlier than normal.

 

The grain was harvested on 14.2 million hectares or 33% of the total area to be harvested, with the average yield of 2.32 tonnes a hectare compared with 2.85 tonnes a hectare on the same date last year. Wheat harvest to date was 24.6 million tonnes, 700,000 tonnes less than a year ago, with the average yield of 2.56 tonnes a hectare compared with 2.92 tonnes a hectare a year earlier.

 

The ministry has warned that the drought will likely reduce the harvest this year from the 85 million tonnes it forecast earlier. The ministry also said grain stocks in the country totalled 24 million tonnes, including 9.5 million tonnes in the state intervention fund. Russia's annual grain requirement is 77 million tonnes.