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Russia’s agriculture ministry expects grain harvest of 100 mln tonnes this year

Ministry is satisfied with the condition of winter crops and the region’s preparedness for the spring sowing campaign

SUKHUM, March 25. /TASS/. Russia’s agriculture ministry is satisfied with the condition of winter crops and the region’s preparedness for the spring sowing campaign, with a grain harvest anticipated at 100 million tonnes, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Dzhambulat Khatuov, who is currently on a working trip to Abkhazia, told TASS on Sunday.

"The Russian agriculture ministry jointly with the Russian regions is monitoring the situation. As of today, we consider the condition of winter crops as satisfactory. A certain part of lands under winter crops, some one million out of 70 million hectares, however is in a risk zone. We hope that due measures will be taken. Nevertheless, the overall percentage of losses after the winter, according to preliminary expert forecasts, will be within average," he said.

He said that Russian regions were generally prepared for the spring sowing campaign. "We see no threats to grain production and expect a harvest of at least 100 million tonnes, as it has been over the recent years," he added.

In 2017, Russia’s grain production in terms of weight went up by 11.2% on 2016 and reached 134.1 million tonnes.

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