An abnormal winter threatened almost a quarter of winter crops in Russia, writes VTimes, citing data from the Ministry of Agriculture. A series of snowfalls, frosts and rains covered the plantings with an ice crust, which may affect the future harvest.
45.7 percent of winter crops are in satisfactory condition, 30.8 percent are in good condition. The most difficult situation is in the North Caucasus – almost half of the winter crops there are in poor condition. There are also problems in other parts of the country. For example, 58 percent of winter crops in the Voronezh region are in unsatisfactory condition.
Market players say that everything will depend on spring. “If it is soft and slow, then there will be no problems, if it is fast and hot, then we can lose a lot,” said Eduard Kurochkin, owner of the Razdolye company.
Problems with harvesting can affect costs, as has already happened with similar products from wheat and sunflower seeds. Due to the decline in the world’s grain harvest, Russian grain began to rise in price abroad, which led to a rise in price on the domestic market.
The head of the Ministry of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov noted earlier that Russia has become the largest exporter, especially for wheat. After the rise in export prices, those who purchased Russian grain also began to increase their prices. According to him, in this regard, the country has taken urgent measures to increase one-time export duties.
President Vladimir Putin in December last year was outraged by the rise in prices, and in particular the rise in price of pasta. He called the situation “completely unacceptable” when, with a record harvest, domestic prices are being pulled up to world prices.