The Ministry of Agriculture plans to introduce a state of emergency of federal significance due to frosts

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture plans to introduce a federal emergency regime due to crop damage caused by abnormal May frosts. The timing of the introduction of the emergency regime has not yet been determined. The head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Oksana Lut, told reporters about this, TASS reports.  

“We are now planning to introduce a federal emergency, and we will ask the government to compensate fruit crops,” the news agency quotes Oksana Lut as saying.

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture noted that the frosts had a strong impact on fruit trees, especially apple trees in the central regions, Interfax writes. “But we will import apples, see where we can import them, and from where, if the south does not provide more. But the south can give more, we’ll see,” the agency quotes her as saying.

The cold snap in early May affected almost all agricultural crops, not only fruit trees. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, frosts in May of this year caused damage to crops in 23 regions, and 10 regions of the country declared a regional emergency. Previously, Oksana Lut stated that due to frosts, about 900 thousand hectares would be replanted.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture does not yet plan to revise the forecast for the grain harvest and exports.

Due to unfavorable weather conditions in recent weeks, industry experts have been constantly lowering crop production forecasts.

Wheat production in Russia in the new season could reach 85.5 million tons, according to the monthly forecast of the International Grains Council (IGC) published on Thursday.

On Friday, the Union of Grain Exporters lowered its consensus forecast for the gross grain harvest in 2024 to 134.2 million tons, including 86.6 million tons of wheat. The consensus export forecast for the 2024/2025 agricultural year (starts on July 1) assumes the export of 58.7 million tons of grain, including 46.7 million tons of wheat.