Russia's 2026 harvest lags due to weather and fuel shortages
The 2026 harvest in Russia is one to two weeks behind schedule because of cold and rainy weather followed by fuel supply disruptions, according to agricultural experts and official sources.
Russia's 2026 harvest campaign is running one to two weeks behind last year's pace, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported, citing Dmitry Rylko, director general of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, and the analytical center of Rusagrotrans. As of July 1, between 1.3 and 1.5 million hectares of grain and legume crops had been threshed across the country — 3% of the planned area and roughly one-third of the 4.2 to 4.6 million hectares harvested by the same date last year, according to consulting firm Neo.
Rylko attributed the delay to weather: agricultural regions first experienced cool temperatures and then heavy rains. The Agriculture Ministry echoed this explanation, noting that in some regions planting had begun later than usual due to weather, which pushed back the harvest campaign.
Albina Koryagina, Neo's business development partner, warned that the harvest could slip further because of fuel shortages. In some regions, farmers have encountered a lack of fuel volumes at tenders and from resellers, as well as longer delivery times on previously agreed orders. Deliveries that typically take one to three days are now stretching to five to ten days.
Two Kommersant sources in the agricultural market said large companies are not currently facing significant fuel shortages for combines and other specialized equipment, as they have necessary reserves. Experts said large agricultural producers are covered for diesel fuel through the end of 2026.
Russia's fuel crisis began after Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries. As a result, nearly all regions introduced various restrictions on fuel sales.
