According to the latest data, the spring sowing campaign is proving challenging in several regions due to vagaries of weather, with the pace of work lagging behind last year’s figures.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev stated at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the spring 2026 sowing campaign has encountered a number of difficulties, but farmers are currently taking every opportunity to make up for lost time.
Overall, more than half of the planned area has already been sown. The total sowing area this year is expected to reach 83 million hectares.
Winter crops were sown last year on 20 million hectares, and 97% of this area is in good condition, creating a solid foundation for the coming harvest. However, as always, much will depend on the weather.
In the spring of 2026, the weather was largely disappointing for farmers. Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut recently stated that the gap between spring sowing rates and last year’s was at one point 3.5 million hectares, but this gap has been narrowed.
The problems were largely caused by late frosts that occurred across much of the country in April, as well as prolonged rains.
Analysts note that sowing rates are currently close to normal.
While there are still nuances in some regions, significant problems are virtually nowhere to be seen.
Patrushev also noted that, in addition to weather conditions, a successful sowing campaign also requires timely provision of agricultural producers with all necessary resources.
The government has developed a set of measures for this purpose.
In particular, a preferential leasing program is being developed to maintain the affordability of agricultural machinery; supply volumes under this mechanism are already almost 50% higher than last year’s. This is a powerful tool for enabling agricultural producers to replace outdated equipment with new ones.
The fuel situation for field work is also being monitored, special measures to ensure stability in the mineral fertilizer market have been extended, and the planned transition to domestically bred seeds continues.
All of these measures are expected to help farmers not only successfully complete this particular sowing season but also improve their overall long-term efficiency.
This year’s wheat harvest is expected to exceed 90 million tons.
This figure not only meets the domestic needs of the country’s citizens but also allows for active grain exports.
