ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - A state of emergency has been declared in southern Russia's Rostov Region, where a severe drought has devastated vast areas of agricultural land, the emergencies ministry's local department said Monday.
The two-month drought in the key agricultural area has caused damages estimated at 6 billion rubles ($240 million), damaging 580,000 hectares (1.4 million acres) of grain-producing land, or 25% of cereal crops.
The Rostov Region has suffered from a heat wave that ruined crops in neighboring Ukraine, which was forced to introduce temporary grain quotas in early July following a nationwide drought.
Further to the West, ex-Soviet republic Moldova had to turn to foreign countries for assistance to overcome a disastrous dry spell that has damaged 80% of the country's arable land.
