Russia’s Agriculture Ministry expects wheat harvest to reach 75-78 million metric tons (MMT), and probably even 80 MMT in 2019.

“According to the forecast of the Russian Agriculture Ministry, the wheat harvest will be 75-78 MMT in 2019, an increase of at least four percent compared with last year. Meanwhile, in case of favorable conditions, the forecast may be raised to 80 MMT,” the Ministry said in a statement.

This year’s grain harvest has been also confirmed at 118 MMT (plus five percent against 2018), which will satisfy the requirements of the domestic market with a concurrent increase in exports of primary produce and processed products meeting the target envisioned by the federal project “Export of Agriculture Products.”

According to the data provided by the national statistics service Rosstat, Russian farmers harvested 113.25 MMT of grain in 2018, and 135.4 MMT in 2017. The project “Export of Agriculture Products” is targeted at boosting exports of agricultural produce from USD25.9 billion (bln) in 2018 to USD45 bln by the end of 2024.