What the Grain Harvest on the Kuban Might Look Like Under Extreme Drought Conditions

In the main Russian wheat granary, temperatures soar to 40 degrees. Under unbearable heat, farmers continue harvesting grains, watering the new crop kernels with salty sweat. In farms in the north of Krasnodar Territory, they might as well water them with burning tears, as yields have dropped several times over.

As previously reported, in mid-June, a municipal emergency situation regime was introduced in eight districts of the region due to severe soil drought. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev announced this at a meeting in the Gulkevichi district dedicated to the ongoing winter grain crop harvest.

"Drought has made serious adjustments to the formation of the future harvest. Approximately 45% of winter crops are in good condition, 40% are satisfactory, and almost 15% are in poor condition. The most challenging situation with drought is in the northern zone, where almost half of the entire winter crop area of Kuban is concentrated. Therefore, an emergency situation regime was introduced in eight municipalities. This will allow support to be provided to the affected..."