Russia harvests 71 million tonnes of grain so far: agriculture ministry

Russia harvested 71 million tonnes of grain by bunker weight by September 8, up from 47 million tonnes a year ago and 67.6 million tonnes by the same date in 2009, Agriculture Ministry data showed on Friday. Grain has been harvested from 29 million hectares, or 65.6 percent of the harvesting area of 44.1 million hectares, the data showed.
By the same date a year ago, when the country was hit by the worst drought in decades, farmers harvested grains from 23.7 million hectares while in 2009 they had reaped grain from 26.3 million hectares. The statement said average grain yields were 2.45 tonnes per hectare compared with 1.98 tonnes a year ago and 2.57 tonnes in 2009.
The wheat crop by September 8 this year was 43.4 million tonnes, up from 31.6 million a year ago and 42 million two years ago. Barley output was 15.3 million tonnes, up from 6.98 million a year ago and 14.3 million tonnes reaped by September 8, 2009. Farmers started harvesting maize having threshed 115,100 tonnes from 24,600 hectares or from 1.4 percent of the sown area of 1.7 million hectares.
Bunker weight, used to measure the crop in the course of the harvesting, is normally 5-7 percent higher than the clean weight obtained after grain is cleaned and dried, but the difference may be less in hot and dry years. The country officially expects to harvest 87-90 million tonnes of grain this year by clean weight, up from 61 million in 2010, but down from 97 million in 2009.
However, some analysts believe the crop may reach 92 million tonnes this year. The ministry said Russia had harvested 5 million tonnes of sugar beets by September 8 this year, up from 2.8 million tonnes a year ago and 1.2 million tonnes by the same date in 2009. The sunseed crop was 190,200 tonnes, down from 690,400 tonnes a year ago and up from 35,600 by September 8, 2009.