Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov on Tuesday again ruled out the imposition of any grain export restrictions following this year's poor harvest.
"I am a categorical opponent of any such restrictions, and this position is good for the country," Fyodorov told a news conference on the current harvest campaign, which is drawing to a close.
Fyodorov nudged up his forecast for the overall grain crop to 71 million tonnes by clean weight, or slightly higher, compared to a previous government forecast of 70 million tonnes.
He trimmed his projection of Russia's exportable grain surplus to 10 million tonnes from an earlier range of 10-12 million tonnes.
-- Reporting for Reuters by Polina Devitt in Moscow.
