"According to preliminary estimates, grain exports in this season will be 34-35 million metric tons, including 27 million metric tons of wheat," Khatuov said.
The minister added that last season, grain exports reached over 33.9 million metric tons, with a little over 25 million metric tons of wheat, and as of May 24, the last season's historic record for wheat has already been beaten.
In 2016, Russia had a record post-Soviet harvest, coming to 120.7 million metric tons of grain, including 73.3 metric tons of wheat, and export predictions were correspondingly ambitious. However, recent problems with Turkish grain trade restrictions forced the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to adjust its estimates. In April, Khatuov had to tone down expectations, saying exports were expected to be the same as in the previous season.
The US Department of Agriculture is expecting Russia to be the second largest wheat exporter in 2017 with 28 million metric tons, second to the United States with 28.17 million metric tons after coming first last year.
