Russian Wheat Limited
6 June 2006 Estimated Russian wheat production for 2006/07 is off nearly 6 million tons from last year’s 47.7 million ton harvest, largely due to poor prospects in the Volga and Central Districts.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS), the total wheat yield is estimated at 1.74 tons per hectare, compared to 1.88 tons last year and a 5-year average of 1.85 tons. High winter-wheat yields in most areas of the Southern District are forecast to compensate to some degree for drops in the Central and Volga Districts. Spring wheat planting is underway and will likely be completed this month.
The total wheat area is estimated at 24.2 million hectares, down 1.2 million from last year. Winter wheat comprises roughly 40% of the total wheat area and 60% of production due to higher yield. The winter wheat area dropped only about 4% from last year’s 10.9 million hectares despite persistent Fall dryness that delayed planting and crop establishment in parts of the Southern and Central Districts. The Southern District (including Krasnodar, Stavropol, Rostov, and Volgograd territories) accounts for about half of the winter wheat output, and the Volga and Central Districts for about one-fourth each.
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