Russian winter grains remain unaffected by winter weather so far this season and crop yields could be quite high in 2017, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev said on Wednesday.
One of the world's largest wheat exporters, Russia harvested a record grain crop of 119 million tonnes in 2016, and analysts say prospects for the 2017 crop are good so far.
"We do not have major concerns over the condition of winter grains," Tkachev told an agriculture conference in Moscow.
Russian agricultural Consultancy IKAR said last week that a cold spell expected in parts of southern Russia between January 27 and February 4 could damage winter wheat sowings.
Agriculture Ministry official Pyotr Chekmaryov said 650,000 hectares of winter grain sowings were vulnerable to low temperatures but played down the risk.
"If it (damage) occurs, the situation won't be bad, of course. There were years when we were losing 1.5 million hectares," he told the same conference.
The Russian farmers last autumn sowed winter grains on 17.4 million hectares for the 2017 crop, up from 16.3 million hectares the year before.
Farmers plan to sow spring grains this year on 31.0 million hectares, down from 31.2 million hectares a year ago, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
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