Russia harvests 51 million tonnes of grain; down 34 percent

Russia, devastated by a severe drought, had harvested 51 million tonnes of grain by bunker weight by September 15, down 34 percent from a year ago, Agriculture Ministry data showed on Wednesday. Russia's worst drought in more than century has sparked a rally in global grain markets, pushing wheat prices to their highest level in two years in August after Moscow banned exports of the commodity.
Grains had been threshed on 26.4 million hectares, or 74 percent of the total harvesting area by September 15, data on the ministry's website (www.mcx.ru) showed. By September 16 last year, farmers had harvested 77.4 million tonnes of grain from 31.5 million hectares, or 69 percent of the total harvesting area. Average yields declined this year to 1.93 tonnes per hectare from 2.46 tonnes per hectare a year ago.
Russia expects to harvest a little more than 60 million tonnes of grain this year by clean weight, down from 97 million in 2009. Bunker weight is normally 7-8 percent higher than clean weight, obtained after grain has been cleaned and dried. But the difference can be smaller in hot and dry years like this one. Global wheat production looks set to fall this year, but a rise in stocks following the two largest wheat harvests in history in 2008 and 2009 should help keep a lid on prices.
Harvesting is practically over in European Russia, but it is continuing in the Urals, Siberia and the country's far eastern regions, the ministry said. Farmers had harvested 34.3 million tonnes of wheat by September 15, down from 48 million a year ago. Wheat had been threshed on 16.6 million hectares, or 74 percent of the total harvest area.
The barley harvest collapsed to 7.5 million tonnes from 16.5 million, and the maize crop was 1.1 million tonnes, up from 68,500 tonnes as its harvesting started earlier than last year. The data showed the winter sowing campaign was still lagging behind last year's after delays caused by the drought. Farmers had sown 5.8 million hectares with winter grains by September 15. Russia aims to sow 16-17 million hectares with winter grains for the 2011 crop, down from 18 million last year.