Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russian wheat prices may rise in coming weeks when the government removes an export tax, set earlier this year to cool food inflation, SovEcon agriculture analysts said Thursday. Russia will take a decision by mid-May on removing the tax ahead of schedule and will set up a new mechanism in case […] Read more
Russian wheat price may rise when tax removed
Crop tour in Russia, Ukraine finds mid-sized farms under pressure
Reading Time: 3 minutes Conflict in Ukraine has left the country’s farmers in a tight spot, as they’ve told agronomist Mike Lee. Lee, who grew up in the U.K. but has managed large farms in Ukraine and worked in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia, traveled 5,000 km through Ukraine and Russia in late March, evaluating winter crops and talking to farmers. […] Read more
Russia looks set to extend import ban on Western food
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters –– Russia looks likely to extend a ban on Western food imports beyond an Aug. 7 deadline, with a lack of incentive to lift its embargo due to the prospect of extended European sanctions. With President Vladimir Putin supporting moves to boost Russia’s “food security,” officials have promised to invest more in […] Read more
Russia’s ag ministry proposes to cancel wheat export tax
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia’s agriculture ministry has proposed to the government to cancel a tax on wheat exports from July 1 when the 2015-16 marketing year starts, a source at the ministry told Reuters. Russia imposed the duty on wheat exports between Feb. 1 and June 30 in an effort to cool domestic food […] Read more
Russia may consider lifting food ban from Greece, Hungary, Cyprus
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — The Russian government could consider removing Greece, Hungary and Cyprus from its ban on most Western food imports, Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov was quoted as saying Tuesday. Russia’s ban, which should run until early August, was imposed in retaliation to Western sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine […] Read more
Russia may extend tax on wheat exports, deputy PM says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia may extend a tax on wheat exports beyond July 1, but is yet to make a final decision, Russian news agencies cited Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who is in charge of the sector, as saying on Friday. Russia has imposed the duty on wheat exports since Feb. 1 in […] Read more
Russia seen removing wheat tax in July if inflation slows
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — Russia, one of the world’s leading wheat exporters, will probably not extend a tax on wheat exports, imposed until June 30, if optimism over lower inflation and a large crop persists among officials, SovEcon consultancy said. Russia’s economy has been hit hard by low global oil prices and Western sanctions due […] Read more
Guenther: ‘Full story’ sought on crop health in Ukraine, Russia
Reading Time: 4 minutes Given the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, the country might seem like a risky place to conduct a 10-day crop tour. But Mike Lee’s confident he can pull it off. “A lot of people think we’re completely nuts for going there. But to me, it’s not that crazy. It’s a fairly normal, straightforward place if […] Read more
Russia starts spring seeding with raised hopes for harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters –– Russian farmers have started their spring seeding campaign with prospects for the 2015 crop brighter than first thought, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. Russia, one of the main key wheat exporters to North Africa and the Middle East, needs a good crop after a sharp drop in the rouble has […] Read more
Ukraine ceasefire may, or may not, weigh on wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– A tentative ceasefire in eastern Ukraine could lead to adjustments in the global grain markets, with softening wheat prices a possibility. Conflict in eastern Ukraine has been an underlying factor in grains and oilseeds markets over the past year, with the uncertainty of the situation providing both bearish and bullish incentives for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
