Decline in agricultural production in Russia in 2024: the consequences of climate change

Weather problems became apparent as early as May, when central Russia experienced recurrent frosts, significantly impacting the fruit harvest. A drought followed in the summer, followed by heavy rains during the harvest . A warm and dry autumn and winter could also impact the 2025 harvest . As a result, the 2024 food harvest will be nearly 20 million tons lower than the 2023 target.

Potato production also declined by 11.9%, reaching 17.83 million tonnes, compared to 20.24 million tonnes in 2023. However, some successes were achieved in crop production, including record harvests of durum wheat (1.8 million tonnes), soybeans, and rapeseed.

In terms of livestock production, 16.9 million tonnes of livestock and poultry (live weight) were produced in 2024, up 2.1% from 2023, while milk yield increased by 0.8%, reaching 34.1 million tonnes. Meanwhile, egg production decreased by 0.3%, reaching 46.5 billion eggs.

The main challenges facing farmers include not only climate conditions but also a significant increase in production costs and a high key interest rate, which has led to price increases for key commodities such as butter ( over 36%) and potatoes (92%). Consequently, the possibility of regulating agricultural prices is increasingly being discussed.