Russia’s 2026 grain harvest campaign is turning into a nightmare for farmers, who are facing diesel fuel shortages, restrictions on fuel sales, and rising prices.
The shortage of diesel for combine harvesters and other agricultural machinery is particularly severe in key southern regions — Rostov region, Krasnodar Krai, and Stavropol Krai — which together account for one-fifth of Russia’s total grain harvest, Forbes reports, citing market participants.
In Kuban, diesel can be found along the M4 federal highway, while people are forced to spend nights at gas stations waiting for fuel trucks to arrive, a farmer working in the region told the publication. At the same time, fuel stations have introduced purchase limits — 100 or 200 liters per person, while a single combine harvester consumes up to 300 liters of fuel per shift.
"Many people are afraid to start harvesting unless they are certain that fuel will be delivered to the field," the farmer told Forbes.
In Crimea, which has become the epicenter of the fuel crisis, agricultural machinery is "simply standing idle," according to a representative of an organization operating on the peninsula. In Rostov region, which produces around 10 million tonnes of grain annually, farmers are already warning of possible losses of up to 15% of the harvest, according to Vladimir Poklad, director of management consulting at the Delovoy Profil group.
Following strikes on oil refineries — all of Russia’s top 10 largest refineries have been targeted over the past two months — diesel fuel production in Russia has fallen by nearly 40%, while refinery utilization has dropped to its lowest level since the early 2000s. The situation is critical in Sverdlovsk region, a regional agricultural company employee told Forbes.
"We have fuel reserves for a month, but no one knows what will happen afterward. For now, officials are only creating endless tables with fuel demand and supply schedules, and that’s it," he said. "Everyone understands that if the harvest is not collected, it will be a disaster. But no one knows exactly how to help."
In Yakutia, restrictions are in place — up to 200 liters of diesel fuel per person. However, the republic’s vast territory makes it impossible for farmers to drive tractors and other equipment 200–300 kilometers to collect a volume of fuel that will barely last a single day of work, complained Maya Gulyaeva, executive director of the "People’s Farmer of Sakha" Association.
The situation is even worse for small and medium-sized farms that do not have their own fuel reserves.
"Diesel stocks cover only 14 days of fieldwork, forcing farmers to purchase fuel on the spot market at inflated prices," Poklad said.
The fuel shortage is particularly damaging because the harvest must be completed within roughly a week to 10 days after the grain ripens, said Andrey Sizov, director of the SovEcon analytical center. If farmers fail to harvest in time, the grain will begin to fall, and if rains arrive, harvesting equipment will simply be unable to enter the fields.
The 2026 harvest campaign is already significantly behind last year’s pace: as of July 1, only 1.3–1.5 million hectares had been harvested, three times less than during the same period last year, when 4.2–4.6 million hectares had been harvested.
