Southern and Eastern Russia (S&E Russia) includes five Federal Districts: Southern, Volga, Urals, Siberian and Far Eastern. Since the beginning of the 90’s, the total sowing area in S&E Russia followed general decreasing trends similar to those observed in the rest of the country. The total cropped area in the region decreased from 90 million ha (M ha) in 1990 to around 61 M ha in 2005-2007. In 2008, it increased slightly to 61.3 M ha - accounting for 80% of cropped area in Russia – in what was the first noticeable increase in the regional sowing area since the collapse of the USSR. In 2008 the cropped area in S&E Russia was occupied by cereals 63%, sunflower 9%, and potato 2%. Grain legumes, vegetables (including melons), sugar beet, soybean and other oil crops occupied 1% of the crop acreage each. The rest of the planted area (22%) was distributed mainly among fodder crops (annual and perennial grasses, and fodder maize).

The area planted to cereals in S&E Russia decreased from 51 M ha in 1990 to a range of 35-37 M ha in 2003-06. There were significant increases to 37.3 M ha in 2007 and further to 38.8 M ha in 2008, accounting for 83% of the cereal acreage in Russia. Wheat —mainly in the South — had the largest increase in sowing area, while maize also showed a significant expansion. In 2008 spring wheat accounted for 35% of cereal cropped area, winter wheat 25%, barley 18%, oats 8%, rye 5%, maize 4%, buckwheat 2%, millet and sorghum 2%, and rice and other crops 1%. Volga is the largest cereal growing region in S&E Russia (36% of cereal acreage in 2008), followed by the South and Siberia (27% each), Ural (9%) and the Far East (1%).

The total cereal production in S&E Russia in 2008 amounted to 83.7 million metric tons (M t) equivalent to 77% of Russia’s cereal output, and was a record grain output for the last 18 years. Six major grain producing regions in the country, with about 41% of grain production in 2008, are located in S&E Russia: Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast, Stavropol Krai and Volgograd Oblast in the South, and the Tatarstan and Bashkortostan Republics in Volga.

The yield of cereals in 2008 averaged 3.5 t/ha in the South, but only 1.9 t/ha in Volga, and 1.4 t/ha both in Ural and in Siberia. In 2008 a historical yield record was achieved in both the South and Volga regions, which had yield increases above the average level 2000-07 of 40% and 27%, respectively. Thus, the South and Volga regions have made serious progress in cereal crop production, and mainly in wheat cultivation. Winter wheat is the major crop grown in the South region, both spring and winter wheat are grown in the Volga region, and spring wheat is cultivated mainly in both the Siberia and Ural regions because of their long and severe winter

The current yield of wheat is still far from the potential. Wheat grain yield in 2008 averaged 3.7 t/ha in the South region, but only 2.0 t/ha in the Volga region, 1.4 t/ha in the Ural region, and 1.3 t/ha in Siberia. The potential productivity of winter wheat in the South is as high as 9.2 t/ha, but yields in 2008 varied from 2.8 t/ha in the Volgograd Oblast to a maximum of 5.5 t/ha in Krasnodar Krai. The potential productivity of spring wheat in both Volga and Siberia is about 5.0 t/ha but again yields in 2008 were considerably lower, varying between 1.1 t/ha in the Omsk Oblast in Siberia and 3.2 t/ha in the Tatarstan Republic in Volga.

In 2007 the S&E Russia region accounted for about 65% of the country’s fertilizer use. Fertilizer consumption by agricultural enterprises or agro-holdings almost doubled between 1995 and 2007 from 0.6 to 1.1 M t NPK, with a 2% average annual increase. However, the use of fertilizers in 2007 increased 15% compared to 2006. In 2007 the Volga and South consumed 44% and 43%, respectively, of the fertilizer in S&E Russia; however, Siberia, with one fourth of the crop acreage, consumed only 6% of the total amount of fertilizers.

Crop yields in S&E Russia have increased as a result of the steady improvement in crop management, including fertilizer application. The use of NPK by agricultural enterprises in S&E Russia in 2008 averaged 18 kg/ha. From 2000 to 2007, the use of NPK by agricultural enterprises increased from 22 to 49 kg/ha in the South region, from 20 to 28 kg/ha in the Volga region, from 10 to 18 kg/ha in the Ural region, but only from 5 to 6 kg/ha in Siberia. Thus, a deep modernization of Siberian agriculture is required to meet the country’s grain export plans.

S&E Russia has a large potential in increasing grain production and, thus, in balancing world cereal market. However, technology transfer from research institutions to agricultural enterprises and private farms is a matter of concern.