Emergency mode in Udmurtia due to waterlogged soil: farmers are facing the threat of crop loss.

On September 16 in Udmurtia, after two weeks of increased readiness regime, an emergency regime was introduced due to soil moisture overload. This information was published on the website of the regional government, mentioning that adverse weather conditions led to "loss of crops and the beginning of grain growth for agricultural crops on an area of over 100 hectares," as reported by "Kommersant" newspaper.

Georgy Krylov, Chairman of the Permanent Commission of the State Council of Udmurtia on Agriculture, Land Relations, Land Use, and Environmental Protection, noted at a meeting that the current season has been challenging due to spring frosts and significant rainfall in August during the forage harvesting and grain crop harvesting. The news was provided by the press service of the assembly.

Mr. Krylov also added that the sowing campaign was carried out in accordance with agrotechnical requirements. Currently, the harvest is being collected, forage is being prepared, and the soil is being prepared for future sowing of winter crops. At the moment, 70% of the harvest of grain and leguminous crops has been harvested from an area of 327.3 thousand hectares.

Agrarians were not surprised by the introduction of the emergency regime. Olga Abramova, acting Chairman of the regional government, announced the preparation of the relevant documents by the Ministry of Agriculture of Udmurtia on September 5. She noted that the delay in harvesting due to excessive rainfall will affect the volume and quality of the harvest.

"The introduction of the emergency regime will allow farmers who have taken out crop insurance not only to receive insurance payments but also to be released from the obligation to achieve target performance indicators for yield, which are stipulated in subsidy agreements. We understand that in such weather conditions, it will not always be possible to achieve all goals, and the financial situation of producers is already under pressure from weather conditions," Mrs. Abramova noted.

Mr. Krylov said that this year has been very difficult for the harvest due to weather conditions. "The areas where grain crops were undersown with perennials posed special problems for farmers. Excessive soil moisture affected the volume of the harvest. We do not yet know the extent of the losses, but research is necessary," he added. Mr. Krylov also believes that the production cost will increase. In his opinion, the regional government should provide maximum support to agricultural producers.

Olga Shklyaeva, Head of the Farmer's Association of Udmurtia, believes that harvest volumes may decrease by 10-30%. "Considering the low price of crop production, we expect losses. Soil moisture saturation has led to a decrease in the quality of tubers: we are experiencing significant losses in potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and garlic. Farms are faced with a choice - whether it is worth investing in storing the produce if there is a risk of losing it," Mrs. Shklyaeva said.

According to her, the delay in harvesting was almost 2.5 weeks. "Difficulties arose that our farms could not overcome. We can only hope for good weather. But at the same time, the grains have already ripened," added Mrs. Shklyaeva.