Russia harvests over 130 mln tonnes of grain in bunker weight by Oct 16, including 95 mln tonnes of wheat - agriculture minister

MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax) - Russia has harvested grain and leguminous crops from 95% of areas by October 16, threshing over 130 tonnes of grain in bunker weight, including 95 million tonnes of wheat, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said.

"The harvesting campaign has already reached the home stretch. As of today, almost 95% of the areas of grain and leguminous crops have been harvested. Farmers have gathered over 130 million tonnes of grain in bunker weight, including around 95 million tonnes of wheat - that is 2 million more than last year. The country's food security in this area is already fully ensured, and we see a good basis for maintaining high export potential," Lut said during a working trip to the Ryazan region, as quoted by the Agriculture Ministry's press service.

The harvesting of oilseeds is also ahead of schedule, "so we expect results at least no lower than last year's," Lut said.

Regarding the buckwheat harvest, Lut said that expectations for this agricultural crop at the beginning of the season were not the most optimistic, since Altai Territory has faced a serious drought this year. "Nevertheless, we now have an increase of almost 20% in the harvesting of this crop compared to the same date last year; around 700,000 tonnes have already been harvested," she said.

The key task is currently to carry out winter sowing at the planned level, which traditionally accounts for the majority of the grain crop harvest in Russia, including approximately two thirds of wheat, Lut said. "Here, given the difficult situation for agricultural producers, we have already adopted and are working on a number of additional measures that will help support the farming economy. As of today, winter sowing has already been carried out at 70% of the plan," she said.

As reported, the official forecast for Russia's grain harvest this year is 140 million tonnes. The harvest in clean weight amounted to 141.2 million tonnes in 2025, including 91.1 million tonnes of wheat.