Russia's grain sowings down

Russia has sown 43.8 million hectares with grains for harvest in 2006, 0.6 million hectares, or 1.3 percent, down year-on-year, the Federal State Statistics Service said on Wednesday, quoting preliminary data.
The service said in a statement that large and medium-sized farms, known in Russia as agricultural enterprises, accounted for 78.1 percent of the total area sown with grains in 2006. Russia officially expects to harvest 70-73 million tonnes of grain this year, down from 78.2 million last year. Sunflower had been sown on 6,101,000 hectares, up by 596,000 hectares, or 10.8 percent, from last year's area, the statement said.
Sugar beet plantings rose to 1,004,000 hectares, up 193,000 hectares, or 23.7 percent. Large and medium-sized farms accounted for 66.5 percent of the total sunflower area and 84.8 percent of the sugar beet area. The data provided by the Federal State Statistics Service is seen as more accurate than the preliminary data provided by the Agriculture Ministry in the course of the sowing campaign.