Russia’s Agriculture Ministry has raised its forecast of Russia’s grain export potential to 27 million tonnes.
“This year’s grain harvest may prove no less than 100 million tonnes, so we are adjusting the export potential upwards to no less than 25-27 million tonnes,” Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov said on Friday.
Earlier, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the progress in the harvesting campaign looked high enough to expect Russia would be able to offer 25 million tonnes of grain on the world market.
“We shall be self-sufficient in grain, build up reserves and even increase export, because the grain harvest is expected at a level of about 100 million tonnes. We have revised the forecast upwards,” he said.
By the beginning of the last third of August Russia’s farm workers had thrashed 66 million tonnes of grain, in contrast to 53 million tonnes on the same date last year.