Dmitry Patrushev who is responsible for the agricultural sector, a deputy prime minister, confirmed that Russia's official grain crop forecast was 132 millions metric tons this year despite poor weather in many regions.

The extreme weather conditions of early spring frosts and floods as well as the summer heat affected some areas in Russia that are key producers. Russia is also one of the largest wheat exporters.

Patrushev said at an industry gathering that despite the extreme climatic challenges of 2024 the forecast grain harvest remains at 132 millions tons. The grain harvest forecast for 2024 is 132 million tons, down from the record-breaking 158 million tonnnage in 2022.

Officials from the Agriculture Ministry have stated that they can revise the forecast based on how the harvest is progressing.

Patrushev says farmers have started harvesting in 55 Russian regions, and that the harvest is happening twice as quickly as it was last year. 40% of grain and legume crops are already harvested, and nearly 64 million tonnes collected. Reporting by Gleb Brynski, editing by David Evans

(source: Reuters)