Russia: Sunflower harvest may decrease by 8.4%

This year, the sunflower harvest in Russia may decrease by 8.4% - to 15.8 million tons (17.25 million tons in 2023), predicts Vladimir Petrichenko, general director of the analytical company ProZerno. This will happen, first of all, due to a reduction in sown areas and a drop in yields against the backdrop of unfavorable weather conditions, he told Interfax. Sunflower is sown on 9.7 million hectares this year, compared to almost 9.9 million hectares in 2023. At the same time, soybean harvest may increase from 6.8 million tons in 2023 to 7.2 million tons. The area under this crop has increased from 3.7 million hectares to 4.23 million hectares. However, according to Petrichenko, its yield will be lower than last year. The expansion of sown areas, even despite a slight decrease in yields, will also make it possible to increase the harvest of rapeseed this year - up to 4.3 million tons compared to 4.2 million tons a year earlier. The area under it increased from 2.1 million hectares ...