Russia raises emergency level in major agriculture region

Russia's government has decided to declare a federal level emergency in the agriculture sector of the southern Rostov region as bad weather has caused massive loss of crops, local authorities said.

In June, Rostov declared a regional state of agricultural emergency due to drought, which enables farmers to seek compensation for losses.

Yuri Slyusar, Rostov governor, said that the federal level emergency would allow new measures to support farmers.


"We discussed the emergency in detail at the highest level - with the President, with the Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut," Slyusar wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"The first result was an increase in the limits on preferential loans. Now the key issue is the prolongation of almost 300 existing loans for farms that will not be able to repay them."

Around 1 million hectares of crops were lost or damaged by drought or frosts in the major agriculture region this year, according to the local government's estimate.

The Sovecon consultancy said that for the first time since 2015, Rostov will not be Russia's top wheat-producing region due to bad weather this year, ceding its position to neighbouring Stavropol.