Russia has harvested 96.9 million tonnes of grain by bunker weight from 97.3 percent of the harvesting area of 42.9 million hectares, the Agriculture Ministry data showed on Thursday. The ministry has lowered the targeted harvesting area from a previous 44.1 million hectares, the data showed. The grain crop was up from 63.7 million tonnes a year ago, but down from the 101.9 million harvested by the same date in 2009.
Russia officially expects to harvest 90-92 million tonnes of grain by clean weight this year, up from 61 million in 2010, when it was hit by a severe drought, but less than the 97 million tonnes reaped in 2009. Bunker weight is normally 5-7 percent above the clean weight, obtained after the grain is cleaned and dried. Final crop data is given by clean weight.
Wheat and barley harvesting was practically over in most regions and farmers were harvesting essentially maize, rice and oilseeds. Farmers harvested 59.2 million tonnes of wheat by November 10, up from 43.5 million a year ago, and 17.7 million tonnes of barley, up from 8.9 million by November 10, 2010. The rice crop was 1.1 million tonnes, little changed from a year ago volume and maize crop was 4.7 million tonnes, up from 2.7 million, the ministry data showed.
Farmers have also threshed 8.1 million tonnes of sunseeds, compared to 4.8 million a year ago, 1.1 million tonnes of rapeseeds, up from 622,500 tonnes and 1.5 million tonnes of soybeans, up from 1.2 million. Winter grains for the 2012 crop have been sown on 15.8 million hectares, or 87.5 percent of the targeted area, the data showed. Analysts have said that this year farmers will sow only 16.8 million hectares with winter grains, which is below the targeted area of 17.99 million hectares.