Russian AgMin adjusts next year's grain harvest forecast to 104 mln tonnes
MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax) - Russia's Agriculture Ministry has adjusted its forecast for next year's grain harvest in Russia to 104 million tonnes, Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov said at a press conference in Moscow on Friday.
The ministry's previous forecast was 100 million tonnes.
The Agriculture Ministry still estimates export potential at 30 million tonnes.
Fyodorov added that the harvest could exceed 110 million tonnes in bunker weight, but including cleaning and drying, which will total 6%, at least 104 million tonnes of grain will be harvested.
"This is a decent harvest that currently guarantees that domestic consumers of all areas will be satisfied 100% and [it guarantees] Russia's very strong export potential of around 30 million tonnes," he said, adding that export volumes would fluctuate depending on how the pricing situation develops on the world market.
Fyodorov noted that Russia will harvest a record 2.2 million tonnes of soy this year. "This is a historic record. We haven't had more than 1.6-1.7 million tonnes," he said. The rapeseed harvest could also be high - 1.5 million tonnes.
Under such conditions, Fyodorov said, it is necessary to export soy not as a raw product, but as a finished product. "And it would be even better if we processed ourselves and sent [it] to strengthen the livestock feed base," he said.
Russia harvested 92.4 million tonnes of grain in 2013.