Russian farming disaster as growers take £14m drought hit in just 1 region

Russia is facing a farming nightmare as the damage to agricultural producers in just one region - Krasnodar Krai - from a prolonged drought is estimated at 1.5billion rubles (£14.2million). This total includes 600million rubles (£5.6million) for insured crops. "Not only the crop production sector suffers, but also livestock farming, since farms need to be provided with feed," the head of the regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fyodor Dereka said. "Livestock breeders in the northern natural and climatic zone of the region keep about 175,000 heads of farm animals.

"Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, most farms plan to prepare feed in full." A decrease is expected in the procurement of hay and silage, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, and officials also pointed out that many landowners who are set to have a shortage of feed have already agreed on supplies with other farms, Russian news service Interfax reports. The harvesting of cereal and leguminous crops is being carried out in the region at the moment.

According to the latest figures, 1.7million hectares have been threshed.

It comes after, on July 18, because of the conditions, a regional emergency regime was introduced in nine districts of Kuban: Yeisk, Kanevsky, Krylovsky, Kushchevsky, Pavlovsky, Starominsky and Shcherbinovsky districts, Primorsko-Akhtarsky and Leningradsky municipal districts.

These areas have a high concentration of grain - more than one million hectares.

Because of a lack of moisture, the total harvest of grain and leguminous crops is expected to decrease to the level seen in 2024, specialists say.

There are 1.8million hectares - the same level as last year - of winter crops for the 2025 harvest.

These include 1.6million hectares devoted to wheat.

Spring crops in the region, meanwhile, also account for 1.8million hectares - also the level of 2024.

After the 2024 harvest, the region collected 13.8million tons of grain and leguminous crops, including rice.

This was down 3.5% when compared to the previous year.

But the wheat harvest increased by 6.3%, to 10.2million tonnes.

The Russian government earlier this month ordered measures to boost agriculture exports after international sales of wheat fell to their lowest since 2008, Reuters reports.

Traders have said that the new crop has been slow to come to the Black Sea terminals.

The news comes as it emerged the Russian economy is said to be facing recession as the Kremlin tries to "disguise and dismiss" the impact of sanctions.