The oblasts of Lipetsk, Voronezh and Tambov – three of Russia's main grain-producing areas – declared a state of emergency this Wednesday (8) due to frost, which caused severe damage to crops and will therefore reduce this year's harvest. .
“The frosts that occurred in early May led to catastrophic consequences,” said Igor Artamonov, governor of the Lipetsk region, before signing the emergency decree. After all, “We must understand that this year’s harvest will be much smaller than the previous one”, he concluded.
Regarding the neighboring oblast, the Voronezh regional Ministry of Agriculture reported that “the area of dead or severely damaged crops exceeded 265 thousand hectares”. To the east, Tambov Governor Maksim Yegorov also declared a state of emergency over the May frosts that devastated cultures and plantations.
All three oblasts are part of the Black Earth Central Economic Region, known for the fertile lands that drive the Russian agricultural sector.
Finally, analysts reduced forecasts for the 2024 grain harvest due to dry weather in the south, without including impacts from frost. In mid-April, the Ministry of Agriculture said the 2024 grain harvest could fall to 132 m/ton.
Source: datagro