Russian grain harvest amounts to 21 mln tonnes - agriculture minister

BARNAUL. July 17 (Interfax) - The grain harvest in Russia to date amounts to 21 million tonnes, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said during Russian Field Day 2026 on Friday.

"The figure was 20.5 million tonnes yesterday. Today we have done more than 21 million tonnes. So far, our harvesting is lagging behind; for grains we are lagging by more than 2.5 million hectares," Lut said.

The lag was caused by the weather, she said. "The weather was difficult during the sowing campaign. There were rains; we came to the sowing campaign late. We are also late with the harvesting campaign because we sowed later," she told journalists.

A total of 25 regions are in the active harvesting stage, she said. "There is a lag in the center; we're being flooded, we cannot properly begin harvesting. In general, we see good yield potential. The southern regions should do well this year - there was a lot of moisture in the south. The physical condition is very good, there are good levels. The situation is the opposite in Siberia. We traveled to the Altai region; it has been hot for more than two months, there has been no rain, vegetation is poor, so in the Siberian region and especially in Altai Territory, which is the main one, there will be a decrease. Nevertheless, for the season, one part of the country compensates for another," Lut said.

According to Rosstat data (excluding the new regions), Russia harvested 141.2 million tonnes of grain in 2025, including 91.1 million tonnes of wheat, compared to 125.9 million tonnes (82.6 million tonnes) in 2024. Taking into account the new regions, the Agriculture Ministry estimates last year's harvest at 144.6 million tonnes.