RUSSIA: Drought may reduce grain yield by 8% in 2021

 

Russia may experience a drop in its grain harvest to 123 million to 124 million tonnes in 2021 (8% less than in 2020) as a result of drought, according to the general director of the analytical agency “ProZerno.”

 

Wheat, which accounts for most of the grain crop, is expected to harvest up to 78 million tonnes due to severe drought in some Russian regions, which already was in April.

 

The barley harvest is forecast to be down to 18.5 million tonnes instead of 21 million tonnes. This drop-in is due to the reduced planted acreage.

 

As for corn, it may yield an increase (14.6 million tonnes, compared to 13.9 million tonnes in 2020) due to a 5% increase in planted acreage compared to the previous year.

 

In the Southern FD, winter crops have been problematic to sprout, and now it has been hot for half a month, which also adversely affects their yields. The Southern Urals and some parts of the Volga region are also suffering from drought. The situation in Siberia is quite normal at the moment, except for the Omsk region. Of all the regions of Siberia, Omsk has been hit harder by the drought than any other region.

 

Russia’s 2020 gross grain harvest is about 133 million tonnes, of which:

Wheat – 86 million tonnes,

Barley – 21 million tonnes,

Maize – 14 million tonnes.

 

According to the official forecast of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, grain production in 2021 is forecast at more than 127 million tonnes, of which wheat is 81 million tonnes.