Russia, historically the world's third-largest wheat exporter, was hit by unfavourable weather during winter and by drought in spring this year, severely depleting grain stocks, sending domestic wheat prices to record highs and raising fears of a spring deficit. In 2012, Russia's winter grain crop only reached 29.2 million tonnes compared with 39.5 million tonnes the year before, a spokesman for the ministry told Reuters.
By the middle of December, the winter sown area stood at 15.7 million hectares, down from last year's 16.3 million hectares, the ministry said. The area included 13 million hectares of winter wheat, 2 million hectares of winter rye and 0.4 million hectares of winter barley. In November, the ministry cut its outlook for the winter sown area to 15.9 million hectares due to unfavourable weather.
Winter wheat accounts for about 45 percent of the total wheat planting area in Russia. The country is expected to cut this year's winter and spring grain harvest to around 70 million tonnes from last year's 94 million tonnes. The wheat harvest is seen at 40 million tonnes, down from last year's 56 million tonnes. Russia put its own grain stocks at risk this year by boosting the tonnage available for export. Its grain exports could reach 15.5 million tonnes in the current crop season, bringing stocks down to critically low levels of 6 million tonnes by July 1, 2013, officials said earlier.
As of December 1, Russian wheat stocks at farms, procurement and processing companies, excluding small farms, fell 40 percent for the year to date to 15.2 million tonnes, SovEcon agricultural analysts said on Wednesday, citing data from the Federal Statistics Service. During last year's season, the same level of wheat stocks - at about 15 million tonnes - was seen in early April. Overall grain stocks at agricultural enterprises, excluding small farms, fell 30 percent to 29.7 million tonnes as of December 1 2012, data from Rosstat, the Statistics Service, showed.