23 Aug 2013 15:43

Russian grain harvest to be 90 mln tonnes this year - PM

CHERYOMUSHKI, KURSK REGION. Aug 23 (Interfax) - Russia's grain harvest will weigh in at an expected 90 million tonnes, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

"The forecasts were up to 95 million tonnes, but the weather has prompted certain adjustments. The figure has been updated," the prime minister said Friday during meeting in Kursk Region dedicated to the course of the harvest.

Medvedev said that grain has been harvested from 44.8% of the planted land and upwards of 53 million tonnes has been threshed, which is 5.5 million tonnes more than a year ago.

"Average crop yield exceeds last year's indicator of 25.8 centners per hectare, while in the drought-stricken 2012 it was 19.8 centners per hectare," he said.