Russian winter grains and pulses dead in 4.3% of sown area as of June 1

Russian state statistics service Rosstat said on Wednesday that 4.3% – or 249,000 hectares – of the sown area of winter grains and pulses had died as of June 1, as drought hit many Russian regions. The area of fallen winter crops sown for grain in 2022 on that date amounted to 64,500 hectares, or only 1.0%. The Russian Agriculture Ministry is not adjusting the grain harvest forecast for this year due to the fact that a number of regions are experiencing drought, and a number of regions have suffered from heavy rains and hail, Deputy Agriculture Minister Andrei Razin said on Wednesday. According to the ministry, modern agricultural technologies allow farmers to reduce dependence on weather conditions, Interfax reported. The ministry predicted a grain harvest of 123 million tonnes in 2023, ...