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Weather Will Be Normal for Russian Southern Grain for Next Month

Bloomberg

April 26 (Bloomberg) -- Weather in southern Russia will be about normal next week, signaling a low risk for crop development at the start of May, a critical period for grain growth, according to the country's weather service.

In May, winter wheat begins flowering in southern Russia and North-Caucasus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.

The Southern and North-Caucasus federal districts will have a normal amount of rain from today until May 5, according to a preliminary forecast, Anna Strashnaya, head of the agriculture forecasts department of Russia's weather service, said by phone in Moscow today. Temperatures will range from 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit) to 19 degrees Celsius in the areas, which is above average but not enough to damage the plants, she said.

Temperatures will be 1 degree Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius above the norm in the Southern district and 2 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius above the norm in the North-Caucasus district, she said.

The two districts accounted for about 35 percent of the national crop after about 24.6 million metric tons was harvested in the season that ends June 30, according to the Federal State Statistics data.

It's important for the grain to have normal weather and moisture in May to boost growth, Oleg Sukhanov, grain analyst at the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, said by phone today.

"If there are no rains in May crops will weaken, and any precipitation in June won't improve the situation," he said.

26.04.13

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