Russia has kept its official grain harvest forecast for this year at 132 million metric tonnes, despite unfavorable weather conditions across numerous grain-producing regions, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, who oversees the agriculture sector. Extreme weather events, including early spring frosts, floods, and summer heat, have impacted this year's harvest outlook in some of Russia's key producing areas, which is the world's largest wheat exporter.
"Despite the highly challenging climatic conditions of 2024, the grain harvest forecast stands at 132 million tonnes," Patrushev stated at an industry gathering. This figure is lower than the record 158 million tonnes in 2022 and 145 million tonnes in the previous year. Earlier, agriculture ministry officials indicated that the current forecast could be adjusted based on the harvest's progress.
Patrushev also mentioned that farmers in 55 regions of Russia have commenced harvesting the new crop, with the harvesting pace being twice as fast as last year's. Currently, 40 percent of the grain and legume fields are harvested, and nearly 64 million tonnes have been collected.
