"SovEcon": Wheat areas in Russia are decreasing

Russia has completed the sowing of winter crops for the 2026 harvest, according to SovEcon in its weekly report. As of mid-December, farmers had sown 16.1 million hectares with winter wheat, down from 16.2 million hectares a year earlier and 16.9 million hectares two years ago. The area sown with winter wheat in Russia peaked at 17.8 million hectares in December 2021, after which it began to decline due to the decreasing profitability of grain production and the introduction of export duties. SovEcon also forecasts a reduction in the area sown with spring wheat in 2026 to 10.7 million hectares from 11.1 million hectares in 2025 and 12.3 million hectares in 2024. The profitability of grain production has been declining in recent years. According to SovEcon, the pre-tax profit of grain producers in January–September 2025 amounted to 69 billion rubles, down from 93 billion rubles a year earlier and 181 billion rubles in 2021. The financial situation of farmers began to deteriorate ...