Russia's Agriculture Ministry raises estimate for potential grain exports to 60 mln tonnes this agricultural year

MOSCOW. Sept 20 (Interfax) - Russia's Agriculture Ministry has raised its estimate for potential grain exports to 60 million tonnes this agricultural year, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Wednesday at government hour in the State Duma.

Patrushev said that harvesting 130 million tonnes this year would allow to meet both domestic needs and to export up to 60 million tonnes of grain.

The Agriculture Ministry had previously said that the export potential for this agricultural year was 55 million tonnes.

Patrushev said Russian farmers had already harvested more than 123 million tonnes of grain despite the fact that weather conditions were not ideal in some regions. "So we have already beaten our previous forecast. However, grain is now being harvested in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, where the weather conditions are quite challenging. But we understand that we will definitely fulfill the volume of 130 million tonnes indicated by the president," he said.

"The 2023 grain harvest will enable us to supply the domestic market in full as well as ship up to 60 million tonnes of grain abroad this season," he said.

Patrushev said good progress was also being made with harvesting other crops. "We expect that the volumes of sugar beets, oilseeds, vegetables, potatoes, fruits and berries will not be below the five-year average," he said. "Also, winter sowing is underway. The area is now about 9 million hectares. We plan to reach 20 million hectares, which is 1 million hectares more than last year," he said.