Russia harvests 67.5 mln tonnes of grain by Oct 2
MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax) - Russia had by October 2 harvested 67.489 million tonnes of grain, 20 million tonnes less than on the same date last year (87.6 million tonnes), according to Agriculture Ministry data Interfax has obtained.
Grains and legumes had been threshed from 36.38 million hectares, representing 92.5% of the target. The overall land planted this year, including where crops have died, is 39.31 million hectares, meaning that growers still have a little less than 3 million hectares to work.
This year's crop yield is lower than last year's. As of October 2 it was 18.5 centners/hectare versus 23.1 centners/hectare last year.
The Agriculture Ministry forecasts a gross grain harvest of 72-73 million tonnes this year.
In the Central Federal District, grain had been harvested from 6.57 million hectares, or 92.7% of plan. The grain crop here weighed in at 17.19 million tonnes versus 16.47 million tonnes a year ago. Crop yield in this district is also higher - 26.2 centners/hectare, 1.7 centners/hectare better than last year.
In the Southern Federal District, grain had been harvested from 6.36 million hectares, or 95.1 of plan. Growers in this district had gathered in 17.29 million tonnes of grain, which was 3.68 million less than a year ago. Crop yield was down to 27.2 centners/hectare from 32.7.
The harvest campaign is virtually done in the Volga district. Grain had been harvested from 10.3 million hectares, or 97.7% of plan. The crop weighed in at 15.02 million tonnes compared with last year's 21.29 million tonnes. Crop yield was down by 5.1 centners/hectare to 14.6.
Growers in the Siberian Federal District had threshed 8.73 million tonnes of grain (versus 13.67 million tonnes) from 7.89 million hectares (91.4% of plan). Crop yield was down by 4.7 centners/hectare at 11.1.
The grain harvest was down in the Northern Caucasus District. As of October 2, 5.14 million tonnes of grain had been gathered in versus 8.98 million tonnes a year earlier. Some 2.17 million hectares of land had been worked, or 85.2% of plan. Crop yield was running at 23.7 centners/hectare, 13.5 less than a year earlier.
In the Urals Federal District, grain had been threshed over 2.54 million hectares (81.5% of plan), and 3.13 million tonnes gathered in (5.18 million tonnes a year ago). Crop yield was down 9.7 centners/hectare at 12.4.
In North-West Federal District, 569,400 tonnes of grain had been harvested, 32,800 tonnes more year-on-year, from 252,000 hectares of farmland (84.2% of target). Crop yield was 0.4 centners/hectare higher year-on-year at 22.6.
Growers in the Far East district had harvested 407,600 tonnes of grain versus 508,600 tonnes on October 2 last year. Crop yield was down to 14.3 centners/hectare from 18.9. By that date, 285,500 hectares had been worked, or 74.4 % of plan