Information about production will be included in the form of federal statistical observation.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andrey Razin, hosted a meeting dedicated to increasing durum wheat production.
In September 2021, pasta producers, as part of a thematic round table, announced a possible further rise in pasta prices due to a shortage of durum wheat.
Commodity prices driven by global shortages soared in the second half of September as the US and Canada, the largest exporters of durum wheat, have been suffering from drought for the second year.
As a result, foreign producers of raw materials turned their attention to Russia, where durum wheat is grown in Altai, Orenburg, Samara and Chelyabinsk regions.
In Altai, for example, as the director of the Altan holding Valery Pokornyak said, grain was bought at any price that was offered.
According to the results of the round table, manufacturers came to the conclusion that the following measures will help relieve the «tension» in the market:
introduction of protective duties on the export of durum wheat
extension of the state support program for the flour milling industry (compensation of part of the costs) to those who work with durum wheat
50% compensation of railway tariffs for the transportation of pasta
restriction of the right of retail chains to introduce a markup on pasta
increase in sown area.
In 2021, Russia harvested 75.9 million tons of wheat (11% less than in 2020), including 735 thousand tons of durum wheat, which is 2.3% more than in 2020.
This year, according to preliminary forecasts, the sown area of durum wheat will be about 790.7 thousand hectares (in 2017-2021 this figure was at the level of 650-700 thousand hectares).
Further increase in sown areas, combined with increased yields, should increase the gross crop yield to 1 million tons, and reach 1.8 million tons by 2025.
The Chelyabinsk region plans to expand the area under crops to 169 000 hectares, which, under favorable conditions, should allow harvesting from 210 000 to 230 000 tons of crops.
The Altai Territory, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Saratov, Samara and Volgograd regions account for 80% of durum wheat produced.
The Chelyabinsk region takes the second place in this list. There is also a large manufacturer of pasta JSC «Makfa».
Therefore, the internal demand for durum wheat among Chelyabinsk processors is much higher than the region produces.
Producers and the regional authorities count not only on regional co-financing, but also on federal support.
The inclusion of data on durum wheat production in the federal monitoring form will allow the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to make better decisions aimed at stimulating crop production and ensuring mutually beneficial interaction between producers and processors.
