Russian govt considering extension of quotas on exports of certain types of fertilizers - Deputy PM Patrushev

MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) - The Russian government does not rule out extending quotas on the export of certain types of fertilizers, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev.

"The government is considering the possibility of extending quotas on the export of certain types of fertilizers," Dmitry Patrushev said at a meeting on the preparation and conduct of spring field work which he held in the Volgograd region.

It is important to maintain the affordability of mineral fertilizers during the spring sowing campaign, he said. "I note that prices for these products on the domestic market remain stable. The dynamics of purchases are positive. The fertilizer procurement plan, calculated until the end of May, has already been fulfilled almost 90%," he said.

Field work is currently being carried out by farmers in almost half of Russia's regions, with 2.7 million hectares sown, he said. "Currently, farmers in almost half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have already gone into the fields. Fertilization has covered over 12 million hectares of winter crops, and spring sowing has been carried out on an area of 2.7 million hectares. It is important that the pace of work does not slow down, and that farmers are fully provided with the necessary resources," he said.

Patrushev recalled that the sown area this year should be 83 million ha, including around 20 million ha of winter crops. "The results of recent monitoring have confirmed that 97% of crops are in normal condition. This is better than the average values of the last five years," he said. "The area under spring crops will be about 56 million hectares. Including an increase of almost 700,000 hectares in grain crops and 300,000 hectares in oilseed areas."

He instructed regional heads to monitor the progress of seasonal field work.