RUSSIAN FEDERATION (7 October)
Cereal harvesting is nearly complete, except in Northern Russia. Aggregate cereal harvest is estimated to match last year’s good harvest estimated at about 76 million tonnes. This aggregate includes some 47 million tonnes of wheat, 16.2 million tonnes of barley, 3 million tonnes of maize and 3.6 million tonnes of rye. Aggregate area planted with cereal in 2004/05 totalled some 42.2 million hectares compared with 42.9 million hectares in 2003/04. Aggregate cereal exports during the 2005/06 marketing year are estimated at about 9.5 million tonnes, including 8.5 million tonnes of wheat and 996 000 tonnes of barley. Aggregate cereal imports, mainly food quality wheat and some maize and barley, are forecast at about 2.5 million tonnes during the 2005/06 marketing year.
Civil strife in Chechnya continues to disrupt social and economic activities. The conflict has displaced more than 300 000 people, 187 000 of whom are internally displaced, 30 000 live in Ingushetia and 9 000 live in Dagestan. Under the current 18-month Emergency Operation (EMOP), which began in January 2004 and has been extended till December 2005, WFP has been assisting some 259 000 most vulnerable people in Chechnya and Ingushetia with 47 882 tonnes of food.