Grain export ban to continue, says agriculture minister

Russia’s grain export ban is set to continue until the autumn, the country’s agriculture minister confirmed.

Agriculture minister Yelena Skrynnik said the government would not be able to make a decision until the end of September or in October.

“At the end of September-October, we will calculate the harvest. Only then can you make a decision to either extend or abolish the embargo on grain exports,” she said.

The country banned the export of grain in August last year following its worst drought in a century.

Skyrnnik said that the main task is to effectively manage the spring planting of 50m hectares, including 30m hectares of grain, which may provide a yield of around 85m tonnes of grain.

“The restoration of grain exports is among our key priorities,” she said.