BARNAUL, July 17. /TASS/. Russian farmers have harvested more than 21 mln tons of grain since the beginning of 2026, Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said.
"As for the harvesting campaign, we have already gathered more than 21 mln tons of grain. At the moment, the harvest is running behind schedule. We are lagging by about 2.5 mln hectares in grain harvesting," Lut said.
She noted that the delay was caused by slower sowing due to heavy rains.
"We are also harvesting later because of the same rains. The Central Federal District is still experiencing heavy rainfall, so everyone there is waiting for conditions to improve before starting the harvest. Overall, however, we are seeing good physical volumes and potentially strong harvests," the minister added.
"We have already discussed that Siberia's harvest will be somewhat lower this year, given the conditions you can see outside today. But I believe our southern regions, which experienced a downturn last year and are performing very well this year, will make up for it. Once again, this happens every year - some regions underperform while others exceed expectations. We are a large country," Lut said.
She emphasized that Russia fully meets its domestic demand and has strong export potential.