Latest news with #OlgaPopova
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
By Olga Popova and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their fields. The appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia alone. Saratov, located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5% of Russia's total grain harvest. Farmers reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply. "We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region," the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia. A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural pest. The Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support farmers. The surge in the population of saigas, easily recognised by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success story. Evgeny Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s. "Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports," Karabanov said. (Writing by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Weather set to hit harvest in Russia's largest grain region
By Olga Popova and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -High temperatures and a lack of rain over the coming months are expected to deplete the harvest in Russia's largest grain region Rostov, the head of the local grain lobby group said after a farming emergency was declared. Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar issued a decree on May 19 introducing the state of emergency for farming after spring frosts and ordered local authorities to evaluate the damage. The declaration allows farmers to seek compensation. Insurance payments to farmers linked to bad weather grew by 76% in 2024. Apart from the frosts, a lack of rain is expected to deplete the harvest further, Anatoly Kolchik, head of the local branch of the Russian Grain Union lobby group, told a local edition of the Vedomosti daily on Tuesday. "The problems affected not only winter crops but also spring crops. They simply won't have enough time to gain the necessary strength," Kolchik was quoted as saying, adding that only the upper layers of soil had sufficient moisture. Andrei Sizov from Sovecon consultancy also cited the lack of rain as the biggest threat to crops in Rostov and that yields were set to decline. "Overall, the situation has improved with the recent rainfall, but it's far from sufficient. The potential yield is below average," Sizov said. Rostov became the third Russian grain-producing region to declare a farming emergency after frosts in late April and May. The others were Voronezh and Belgorod. The region's grain harvest fell by 22% last year after Rostov was hit by spring frosts and then by drought, with the wheat harvest declining by 38%. The grain harvest for the whole of Russia, the world's biggest wheat exporter, declined by almost 14% in 2024. In February local authorities forecast this year's harvest in Rostov would be 13.7 million metric tons, 20% more than in 2024. "The situation this year remains tense, both in terms of weather and economic parameters," Rostov's First Deputy Agriculture Minister Olga Gorbaneva said during the public hearing of the region's budget. Gorbaneva said the region's agricultural sector profit margin fell to 8% in 2024 from 16% the previous year. She also said that grain farming costs rose by 35% last year while revenue rose by 13%. Russia's Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said last week that crop damage from May frosts is not significant this year and is estimated at only about 10% of last year's damage. She also said that a lack of moisture in the soil was the next big risk. ($1 = 80.8500 roubles)
Zawya
20-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt boosted Russian grain purchases by 38% in 2025, watchdog says
Egypt, the biggest buyer of Russian wheat, boosted its grain purchases from Russia by 38% in 2025 compared with the similar period of last year, Russia's agricultural watchdog said on Thursday. The watchdog said Egypt has bought 1.26 million metric tons of grain from Russia since the start of the year, in addition to 11.4 million tons it bought in 2024. The watchdog did not say how much of this volumes was wheat. Analysts from rail carrier Rusagrotrans earlier said in a report that Egypt imported 6.3 million metric tons from July 2024 to January 2025, a 70% increase compared to last year. Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, expected it grain exports to fall by one-fifth from last season's record to 55-57 million metric tons in this season, after the harvest was hit by bad weather. (Reporting by Olga Popova, writing by Gleb Bryanski; editing by David Evans)
