MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Russia will remain the world’s biggest wheat exporter in the current farming year (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017), Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev said on Tuesday.

"Russia’s overall grain harvest in 2016 will exceed 117 million tonnes. According to our forecasts, as many as 35 million tonnes will be exported. Notably, Russia will retain global leadership in exporting wheat and will outstrip such exporters as the European Union and the United States," he said.

Earlier, Russia’s ministry of agriculture downgraded grain export forecasts for this farming year by five million tonnes, to 35 million tonnes.

In 2015, Russia’s grain harvest was 104.8 million tonnes, of which 33.9 million tonnes were exported.

The biggest-ever harvest of 108.1 million tonnes was reported in Russia in 2008.