OREANDA-NEWS  In the spring, frosts took place in 21 regions of Russia, as a result of the cold weather, more than 1 percent of the harvest was lost. So the damage to agriculture was assessed by President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of the government, RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

According to the head of state, about 1.2 percent of the harvest was affected due to frosts.

Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Oksana Lut, announced the possible introduction of an emergency regime due to the May frosts. This measure will allow farmers to interact with insurance companies to settle losses.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on May 31 that bad weather in the regions had damaged more than one million hectares of crops, of which most (850 thousand hectares) were cereals. According to him, some regions have already introduced a state of emergency, while others may introduce a federal emergency regime.

As a result of the frosts, the harvest of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and other berries suffered. According to the Telegram channel Mash, due to frosts, strawberries in Russia should rise in price by 100 percent — up to six thousand rubles per kilogram. According to the publication, in the central regions of Russia (Kursk, Lipetsk and Bryansk regions), the cold destroyed up to 90 percent of the berry harvest.