Expert on forecasts for grain harvest in Europe, Russia and Belarus
Europeans are already calculating losses and complaining that their harvest will not be the same as in previous years – as noted by Sergei Kravtsov, the Director General of the National Research Centre for Agriculture at Belarus’ National Academy of Science, while commenting on how much grain is expected to be harvested in 2024 worldwide
“In May, Poland, part of the territory of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria were covered by a drought, which had not been registered there for about 60 years,” the expert explained. “There was practically no precipitation, and the echoes of that disaster even approached the Grodno Region, in the west of Belarus.”
At the same time, a shortage of crops is predicted in Russia this year: after frosts, 1.5 million hectares of them need to be replanted in the chernozem zone: Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Bryansk...
“According to preliminary estimates, the harvest of our allies will decrease by about 10 million tonnes against the last year’s figures,” Mr. Kravtsov said. “Meanwhile, Belarus is likely to harvest 20 percent more than in 2023, if the weather conditions are favourable this summer.”