Agriculture minister: Russia to harvest 100 mln tns of grain in 2018

MINSK, Jun 19 (PRIME) – The Agriculture Ministry has maintained its 2018 grain harvest forecast at 100 million tonnes, Minister Dmitry Patrushev told reporters on Tuesday.

“We adjust the forecast almost on a weekly basis. I think that we may definitely speak of a forecast of about 100 million tonnes today. But we have to return to the topic regularly in order to name definite figures,” he said.

Domestic demand for grain stands at about 80 million tonnes. “We are to decide how much we would be able to export depending on the harvest and depending on what we would need to cover our consumption,” he said.

The ministry initially expected Russia’s grain harvest at 110–115 million tonnes in 2018, but cut the forecast to 105–110 million tonnes in May and to 100 million tonnes in June. The authority also expects grain exports to reach about 53 million tonnes from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 and 35–40 million tonnes in July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019.

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