FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 04/02 - RUSSIAN FEDERATION (2 April)
Spring planting began earlier than usual and the area under spring crops is anticipated to exceed the 2001 area by one million hectares. Winter cereals covered 16.5 million hectares of land in 2002, 3 million hectares more than in 2001. Winter-kill and replanting of winter crops has been minimal and below average. Harvest is tentatively forecast at 87 million tonnes in 2002, nearly 2 million tonnes higher than the 2001 harvest, which was the highest since the Soviet era. Cereal exports in 2001/02 marketing year are estimated at about 4.5 million tonnes while cereal imports are estimated at about 2.3 million tonnes. In 2000/01 marketing year Russia imported about 2.6 million tonnes and exported about 1.3 million tonnes of cereals.
Civil strife and military operation in Chechnya continue to disrupt life and agricultural activities. WFP and some international NGOs continue to provide supplementary food and non-food assistance to internally displaced and refugee population. WFP intends to provide supplementary food assistance to some 310 000 people in Ingushetia and Chechnya. The current emergency programme, which began last January, is expected to continue until the end of June this year. By then some 65 000 tonnes of food would have been distributed to 270 000 internally displaced and vulnerable people.