The abnormal heat that has smothered Russia since mid-June has already killed a fifth of Russia's crops and higher grain prices threaten to push inflation up later in the year, the Vedomosti daily said on Friday.
Meteorologists say the 2010 summer is one of the three hottest on record. Forecasters predicted record temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) for Friday with no relief in sight.
Grain prices may double in comparison with 2009, Pavel Skurikhin, the head of National Union of grain Producers of Russia, told the paper.
A state of emergency has already been introduced in 17 of Russia's major grain producing regions. The Agriculture Ministry has downgraded the 2010-2011 gross grain harvest forecast to 85 million tons. Russia's volume of national consumption of grain is 75-80 million tons.
Food prices will grow by 10-15% by the yearend and 2010 inflation will surpass the 2009 figure, reaching 9-10%, Oksana Osipova from the Higher School of Economics said.
"If world prices on food grow by 10%, in Russia they will grow by 15%," Vladimir Tikhomirov from the Uralsib financial corporation added.
MOSCOW, July 16 (RIA Novosti)
