Restrictions make it harder to harvest crops for export, Russia’s agriculture minister says
The sanctions are disrupting grain harvests in Russia and could worsen the food crisis abroad, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said, adding that the country may have to revise its export plans.
Russian farmers are struggling to meet their harvest plans, the minister said on Friday, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Telegram channel.
He cited extreme weather conditions in some areas, including heavy rains and winds, as well as “difficulties” with the imports of spare parts for agricultural equipment as the reasons for which the performance has been “significantly lower” than last year.
“All of this creates risks in reaching the goal of harvesting 130 million tonnes of wheat. Of course, we will completely meet the needs of our market. It won’t be a problem. said Patrushev.
“However, if we fail to meet our [harvest] plans, we will be forced to revise our export plans of 50 million tonnes. This, in turn, could negatively impact the global crop market.
According to the ministry, Patrushev warned that the amount of wheat available will decrease globally this season due to a number of factors, including droughts in the United States and Europe, floods in Australia and weather conditions. extremes in India. All this, combined with “logistical restrictions” create “serious risks to global food security”, said Patrushev.
The UN has warned that disruption of grain exports from Ukraine, another major wheat producer, will harm African and other developing countries, creating a “unprecedented hunger crisis in the world”.
After the recent Russian-Ukrainian agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey, a grain ship left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on the Black Sea on Monday, the first such event since the start of the conflict.
On Friday, three ships loaded with grain left Ukrainian Black Sea ports, Reuters reported, citing the Turkish Defense Ministry and witnesses.
Many countries, including the United States and the EU, have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow in response to its military operation in Ukraine, which was launched in late February.
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