Russian farmers reaped record crops of oilseeds this year, the Agriculture Ministry said Tuesday.
They gathered all-time high harvests of 1.5 million tons of soybeans, 1.1 million tons of rapeseeds and 8 million tons of sunflower seeds after drying and cleaning. The corn and sugar beet harvests were records of 6 million tons and 45 million tons, respectively, the ministry said.
The country's harvest of grains and pulses was 92 million tons, or 51 percent more than last year, sufficient to meet domestic needs and export 25 million tons in 2011-12. Farmers have 6 million tons of seeds, enough for the spring sowing campaign, the ministry said.