October 13, 2000

RUSSIAN GRAIN HARVEST NEARS COMPLETION

The USDA estimates Russian total-grain production for 2000/01 at 64.5 million tons, including roughly 1.5 million tons of pulses and miscellaneous grains. Wheat production is estimated at 36.5 million tons, unchanged from last month and up from 31.0 million last year. According to a Ministry of Agriculture report cited by the Bridge news agency, harvest was nearing completion as of October 11 with output at 67.6 million tons bunker weight (prior to cleaning and drying), which translates to roughly 63 million tons net weight. Bunker-weight yield is reported at 1.70 tons per hectare, up from 1.49 tons per hectare last year. Corn harvest is roughly 25 percent complete and stands at nearly 0.7 million tons. USDA forecasts final output at 2.0 million.

Nearly 40 million hectares of grain were harvested as of October 11, against 36 million by the same date last year, and officials expect to harvest no more than 41 million hectares of the 45 million sown. Nearly 3 million hectares already had been written off because of weather-related damage earlier in the season, and officials indicate that unfavorable weather in the Urals will prevent a portion of the remaining standing crop from being harvested.

For more information, contact Mark Lindeman with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division on (202) 720-0888.