Crimea sets grain harvest record

The region has reported its best crop since the Soviet era

A record grain crop has been harvested in the Russian Republic of Crimea, head of the region Sergey Aksyonov said on Thursday.

“Crimean farmers have harvested a record crop of more than 2.1 million tons, which is 700,000 tons more than last year,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. 

In 2021, the grain crop reportedly amounted to 1.47 tons. In the previous year, Crimean farmers harvested one million tons of grain, while the peninsula’s own demand totals 300,000 tons. Before the pandemic in 2019, the grain crop amounted to about 1.7 million tons.

The latest figure represents Crimea’s largest crop since Soviet times, when the peninsula    harvested 2.2 million tons of grain in 1989.

Earlier this month, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said the country could reduce its planned 50 million tons of grain exports this year due to a possible yield decrease.

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According to the minister, the possible decrease was attributable to a delay in work starting across many regions due to a cold spring and bad weather. Russia also experienced some difficulties with the supply of foreign components for agricultural equipment.

The ministry had previously predicted a grain harvest of 130 million tons for 2022, including a record 87 million tons of wheat, with some 50 million tons of grain designated for export.

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