UPDATE: Russian ministry expects to harvest 104-105 mln tns of grain 2016

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MOSCOW, Jan 27 (PRIME) -- The Russian Agriculture Ministry expects the country’s grain forecast to stand at 104–105 million tonnes in 2016, slightly above 2015 harvest of 104 million tonnes, two ministry officials said Wednesday at an international trade expo.

“The figure is 104 (million tonnes), and we have to fulfill it, this is our goal,” Pyotr Chekmaryov, a department director at the ministry, said. But the final result will depend on how the crops survive winter hibernation, he added.

First Deputy Agriculture Minister Yevgeny Gromyko said that Russian farmers should harvest at least 105 million tonnes of grain this year.

Chekmaryov said the ministry will be able to make the first real forecast, when winter crops grow, as it will understand their preservation. Winter crops account for 45% of gross grain harvest on average, he said. “We will make a second forecast as soon as we finish sowing. We will see whether we have sown all areas and what cultures were sown,” he said.

This year’s weather is better than last year as more snow means less chances of frost-killing, he added.

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