Russia to export 18 million tons of grain

The export of Russian grain in the current agricultural year may reach
18 million tons, Agriculture Minister Elena Skrynnik announced today
during a discussion of the national budget for 2012-2014 at a
All-Russian People's Front meeting.

She said that Russia is one of the leading players in the world grain market.

The minister said that this year the ministry managed to effectively
use the area of more than 50 million hectares for grain agriculture
and increased the whole area by 7.3 percent. Skrynnik noted that the
increase in harvest of all major agricultural crops is expected and
will amount to 40 percent for the sugar beet, 19 percent - for
sunflowers, 29 percent for potatoes and 5 percent for other
vegetables.