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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
September 26, 2002
As of September 23, Russian farms had planted 10.1 million hectares of winter crops for 2003/04, including 9.7 million of winter grains, compared to 11.4 million hectares of winter crops by the same date last year, according to Ministry of Agriculture data reported by the Interfax news agency. Winter grains in Russia typically consist of 65 percent wheat, 30 percent rye, and 5 percent barley, and winter wheat comprises roughly one-third of total wheat area. Although sowing progress is behind last year's pace, due in part to previous dryness in southern Russia which delayed planting, reports from the U.S. agricultural attache in Moscow indicate that total sown winter grain area is forecast to be slightly higher than last year's 16.1 million hectares. Beneficial rainfall during the past two weeks replenished surface soil moisture in Russia's Southern district (including Krasnodar, Rostov, and Volgograd oblasts), enabling farmers to resume planting and improving conditions for emerging winter crops. Sub-surface moisture is still relatively low following an extended period of generally dry weather, but soil moisture is typically replenished over the winter.
The situation is somewhat similar in Ukraine. Winter-crop planting progress was slightly behind last year (3.37 million hectares as of September 18 compared to 3.87 million the previous year), but Ministry of Agriculture officials indicate that final sown area of winter wheat will slightly exceed last year's 7 million hectares. Moisture conditions are favorable in eastern and central Ukraine. Parts of southern Ukraine, however, have become alarmingly dry. As is the case in southern Russia, successful establishment of winter crops in southern Ukraine will depend on October rainfall.
