The Omsk region: precipitation destroyed crops on 200 thousand hectares, a state of emergency has been declared.

Intense precipitation that led to the introduction of a state of emergency in the Omsk region has resulted in the destruction of about 200 thousand hectares of crops, announced the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Processing Industry of the region, Nikolai Drofa.

“At the moment, it is difficult to assess the preliminary damage from the precipitation. Farm managers are just starting to contact the insurance company, but the loss of crops amounts to about 200 thousand hectares,” - he said, as reported by TASS.

He noted that the crop yield levels remain relatively high, but the increased moisture is affecting the quality of the grain.

Oksk farmer Oleg Shagaev told TASS that due to the intense precipitation, he started the harvesting campaign almost a month late. “The soil was too wet, and because of this, the machinery couldn't operate,” he said. “If the weather stabilizes, everything will be relatively normal. However, the quality has suffered because the ears started to sprout right in the field.”

A state of emergency due to heavy precipitation was declared in the Omsk region on August 29. This will allow farmers who insured their crops to receive insurance payments. In total, 946 thousand hectares of crops in the region are insured this year.

The Omsk region is one of the leading agricultural regions in Siberia. Traditionally, around 3 million tons of cereals and leguminous crops are harvested here. In 2023, due to abnormal drought, the harvest decreased to 2.5 million tons. This year, farmers planned to harvest about 3.5 million tons of grain.

A state of emergency due to heavy rainfall and soil oversaturation was also declared in the Tomsk, Novosibirsk, and Kemerovo regions, as well as in Bashkortostan.