Russia's Annual Grain Harvest Must Reach 137.5Mln Tonnes By 2024 - Agriculture Ministry

Russia has to increase its annual grain production level to at least 137.5 million tonnes in order to implement Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree issued in May, Russian First Deputy Agriculture Minister Dzhambulat Khatuov said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2018) Russia has to increase its annual grain production level to at least 137.5 million tonnes in order to implement Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree issued in May, Russian First Deputy Agriculture Minister Dzhambulat Khatuov said on Thursday.

In May, Putin issued a decree outlining the Russian national goals and strategic targets for the period until 2024. Among other tasks, he required the Russian government to increase non-primary non-energy goods exports to $250 billion per year by 2024, while agricultural exports should be brought to $45 billion by 2024.

"Our export potential exceeds 35 million tonnes this year, and we should increase this figure every year. In order to ensure the fulfillment of the presidential May decree, we should achieve the stable production of at least 137.

5 million tonnes of grain by 2024, while oil crop production should amount to 35 million tonnes," Khatuov said at the Russian agro-industrial exhibition Golden Autumn, as quoted by the Agriculture Ministry.

Khatuov specified that the measures taken would include the introduction of unused lands into the agriculture sector.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry expects the grain harvest in Russia to fall to about 106 million tonnes in 2018 due to unfavorable weather conditions. In 2017, Russia enjoyed a record-high harvest of 135.4 million tonnes, which was an almost 15 million tonnes increase year-on-year.