Russian sown area drops as oilseeds expand in 2026Russian sown area contracted by 3.4 percent in 2026 compared with the previous year, according to spring accounting data released by Rosstat. Winter grains bucked the trend, edging up to 17.2 million hectares from 17.0 million hectares, but total wheat of all types still slipped to 25.5 million hectares from 26.9 million hectares. Barley was the only major grain to expand, rising to 6.89 million hectares from 6.65 million hectares. Sunflower plantings rose to 11.96 million hectares from 11.08 million hectares, and rapeseed jumped to 3.8 million hectares from 2.97 million hectares. Soybeans moved in the opposite direction, contracting to 4.1 million hectares from 4.831 million hectares.