Tatarstan head says harvest good, but grain prices low

KAZAN. Nov 9 (Interfax) - Tatarstan had a good harvest this year but grain prices are low, the republic's head, Rustam Minnikhanov, said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

"The harvest was good, it was fine, but there are questions about the price of grain, since logistics are closed. The price of grain is still low. This is, of course, concerning," Minnikhanov said.

Farmers in Tatarstan harvested 3.84 million tonnes of grains at an average yield of 34.5 centners/ha by October 20, rounding off the harvest season. The harvest fell 700,000 tonnes short of target due to heavy rains which delayed field work.

Minnikhanov introduced a state of emergency for farmers in 41 of the republic's 43 districts on October 1 as crops perished due to root asphyxia, frosts and waterlogged soil. Farmers affected are entitled to compensation from the state.

The Russian Grain Union said grain exports through Russian ports in the first four months of the current agricultural year, in other words July-October 2026, fell 54.5% year-on-year to 11.2 million tonnes. Wheat shipments fell 58.7% to 7.8 million tonnes.

Elena Tyurina, head of the Grain Union's Analytical Department, told Interfax that Russian wheat (FOB Novorossiysk) fell in price from July to October, from $232 to $200 per tonne. Wheat prices from Russian producers fell by 38.5% in dollar terms during this period, to $112 per tonne.