Report: Russia Leads as World’s Top Wheat Exporter

Date: 13 May 2019 - 21:45

News ID: ۶۵۹۳۱

MOSCOW (Dispatches) - Global grain production is set for a sharp increase in the next 12 months with Russia remaining the top exporter, according to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA projects global wheat production to grow by 46 million tons from the previous year to a record 777 million tons. Russia will be the world’s leading wheat exporter with supplies of 36 million tons, slightly down from the 2018 – 2019 level. The country is forecast to harvest its second-largest wheat crop of 77 million tons. The total amount of Russian crops is expected to be more than 115 million tons.
Global wheat consumption is set to increase by more than 21 million tons to 759 million tons to cater for a rise in food usage, USDA said.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture projects the country’s grain harvest to grow by five percent this year to 118 million tons, including around 78 million tons of wheat. The ministry’s projection included data from the Crimean peninsula.
According to the Director of the SovEcon analytical center, Andrey Sizov, Russia’s agricultural export market is actively expanding. The country supplies grain to Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Saudi Arabia has announced plans to become a major hub for Russian agricultural products in the Middle East.