Russia’s food safety guaranteed by grain harvest — official

Farmers in Russia have threshed 78 million tons of grain, an amount sufficient to completely ensure the country's food security, Roman Nekrasov, director of the Plant Growing Department of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, told RIA Novosti on Saturday. 

He highlighted that the pace of reaping was fast “despite the difficult weather conditions and other challenges.” 

The Russian Agricultural Ministry had previously projected a grain harvest of 130 million tons this year, including a record 87 million tons of wheat, and expected exports to reach up to 50 million tons of grain. 

Last year, Russia harvested nearly 121 million tons of grain, including about 76 million tons of wheat.  

Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev warned last week that the late start of work in several regions due to the cold spring and bad weather, along with some difficulties with the supply of foreign components for agricultural equipment, had created risks to reaching the 130 million-ton target. 

The minister also said that the 50 million-ton export plan may have to be revised, which would inevitably affect the global grain market. 

Meanwhile, Patrushev warned that sanctions imposed on Russia, the world’s largest exporter of wheat, in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine are disrupting grain harvests in Russia and could exacerbate the food crisis overseas.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section