RUSSIAN FEDERATION (20 September)
Cereal harvest in the Russian Federation is nearly complete and aggregate grain harvest is estimated at more than 77 million tonnes from a total area of over 44 million hectares. At this level aggregate harvest is nearly 10.4 million tonnes up on last year’s poor harvest but nearly 8 million tonnes down on the average harvest in 2001 and 2002. Frost in April reportedly killed more than one million hectares of winter cereals, while yields were down on spring cereals following unusually cold weather conditions during planting. Aggregate cereal exports during the 2003/04 marketing year totalled some 7.3 million tonnes, and exports during the 2004/05 marketing year are forecast at over 8 million tonnes.
Military operations and civil strife in Chechnya continue to disrupt social and economic activities. The conflict has displaced more than 300 000 people, 100 000 of whom live in the neighbouring Ingushetia. Under the current 18-month Emergency Operation (EMOP), which began in January 2004, WFP will assist some 259 000 most vulnerable people in Chechnya and Ingushetia with 47 882 tonnes of food over a period of 18 months.