MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry has upgraded its outlook on grain harvest for this year to at least 142 mln tons in net weight, Minister Dmitry Patrushev said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily published on kp.ru website.

"This year has become one of the most successful for the Russian agriculture sector. For one thing, the grain harvest was the second-largest in the entire history of the country. According to our estimates, gross yield will total at least 142 mln tons in net weight. This will enable us not only to provide supplies to the domestic market but also to deliver major volumes of grain to foreign partners," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier at the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference that grain harvest in the country would be among record high ones this year, exceeding 146 mln tons in net weight.