3 Dec 2018 14:54

Russian grain harvest totaled 110 mln tonnes net weight this year - agriculture minister

MOSCOW. Dec 3 (Interfax) - Russia's grain harvest this year totaled 110 million tonnes net weight, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"Despite somewhat unfavorable weather conditions, we were able to make a good harvest: 110 million tonnes in net weight, which is 11% above the average in the last five years," Patrushev was quoted by the Kremlin press service as saying.

Grain and legumes have been harvested from 100% of the sown area.

Russia harvested a record 135.4 million tonnes of grain last year.

Patrushev also said the country might harvest 18 million tonnes of oilseeds in 2018, 1.5 million tonnes more than in 2017. "The sugar beet harvest is also nearly complete, which is more than 41 million tonnes, while 6.7 million tonnes of potatoes have been harvested [at agricultural organizations and private farms], 4.2 million tonnes of open field vegetables and almost 1 million tonnes grown under glass have been harvested," he said.

"So the harvest we have had this year will enable us to meet both Russia's domestic needs for food and to export the volumes we planned," he said.

The AgMin forecasts the export potential for grain this farming year from July 2018 to June 2019 at 39 million tonnes, including 34 million tonnes of wheat.