Four Russian grain regions in state of emergency due to heavy rains

A drone view shows a tractor during potato planting in a field of the agricultural enterprise Sovkhoz Morskoi near the village of Leninskoye in the Novosibirsk region, Russia, May 17, 2024. /Vladislav Nekrasov/File Photo

MOSCOW - Russia's vast Krasnoyarsk region declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to heavy rains killing winter crops during sprouting time, bringing the total number of Siberian grain-producing regions under emergency conditions to four.

Earlier in September, a state of emergency was announced in the Tomsk, Novosibirsk, and Kemerovo regions.

Together, the four regions accounted for about 5% of last year's grain harvest in Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter.

Declaring a state of emergency can allow farmers to claim compensation.

"Due to the abundance of rain and excessive soil moisture, farmers' crops have suffered as the sprouting is taking place," said Sergei Ponomarenko, first vice governor of the Krasnoyarsk region, in a statement.

Ponomarenko estimated the affected area at more than 17,000 hectares, with preliminary financial damage exceeding 280 million roubles ($3 million). The resulting winter crop losses will affect next year's harvest.

Over a dozen Russian grain-producing regions have been hit by extreme weather, from early spring frosts to drought in recent months. The bad weather has affected an area of more than 1.1 million hectares, officials said.

Despite the losses, Russia has maintained its official grain harvest forecast at 132 million metric tons, a 10% drop compared to last year, and its export forecast at 60 million tons.

($1 = 92.7000 roubles)

- (Reuters)