Russia: Grain and Feed December 2014 Update
Based on the officially reported data on the progress of the Russian grain harvest, FAS/Moscow increased its forecast of Russia’s total grain crop in MY 2014/15 by 1 million metric tons (MMT) to 102 MMT. The forecasted crop includes 58 MMT of wheat, 19.5 MMT of barley, 11.5 MMT of corn, and almost 13 MMT of other grains and pulses. Given these crop volumes and the volatility of ruble exchange rate Russia may export up to 30 MMT of grain, including 22 MMT of wheat, 4.3 MMT of barley, 2.5 MMT of corn, and from 0.5 to 0.8 MMT of other grains and pulses. By mid-November area sown to winter crops, primarily grains, exceeded 16.8 million hectares, and was almost 2 million hectares more than a year ago. However, very dry and cold fall weather in the Central European Russia District may affect the condition of the winter grain crop in 2015.