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December 7, 1999
TEMPERATURES PLUNGE IN WESTERN FSU, BUT NO DAMAGE TO WINTER WHEAT
A brief episode of frigid weather in the former Soviet Union (FSU) winter-grain region during late November resulted in little or no crop damage in the key winter-wheat zone. Minimum temperatures fell in some areas to below -20 degrees Celsius, but accompanying snow provided protection from the extreme cold. During the past week, minimum temperatures remained above freezing throughout most of the winter-grain region and snow cover receded in the North Caucasus, lower Volga Valley, and southern Ukraine. (See previous week's assessment.)
According to preliminary harvest results released by the State Statistical Agency and other government agencies, 1999/2000 Russian grain production reached approximately 54.8 million tons, against 47.9 million last year. Grain quality, however, is down: only 63 percent of the wheat harvest met food-quality standards, compared to 76 percent last year. Private-sector farms produced nearly 9 percent of total grain output, up from an estimated 7 percent last year. (See USDA estimates of grain production in the former Soviet Union.)
For more information, contact Mark Lindeman with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division on (202) 720-0888.
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