Russia may harvest 85 million tons of grain and export at least 20 million tons, Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov said on Monday.
“We …estimate the [harvest] level at 85 million tons of grain and grain legumes,” Fyodorov told a government meeting.
Grain carryover stocks amount to 51 million tons while domestic consumption for the next agricultural year is estimated at 72.7 million tons, he said.
“Proceeding from these figures, we are confident that the country’s export potential is at least 20 million tons,” Fyodorov said.
Russia’s harvest last year amounted to 94.2 million tons.
Russia introduced a temporary grain export ban in 2010 following a heatwave and drought that wiped out about a third of the nation’s harvest.