SOVIET CROP CONDITIONS AND FOOD SUPPLY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80S01540R006000030006-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: August 31, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/20: CIA-RDP80SO154OR006000030006-2
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
SUBJECT Soviet Crop Conditions and Food Supply
DATE OF INFO.
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
31 August 1954
NO. OF PAGES
50X1-HUM
REQUIREMENT NO.
RD
50X1-HUM
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE,
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
Kolkhozniki who live near railroads are buying food from stores in cities
along the railroads. Those not living near main lines of communication
are already hungry. Sugar cannot be bought anywhere in the area. The
grain grew only ten inches high this year. There is absolutely no food
for the cattle; large numbers have been slaughtered, and those left are
only skin and bones.
n Kirovograd -30, E 32-18 is so bad that there are long lines of
people standing to buy little cans of fish or any food they can obtain.
2. In Kiev) a large crowd waiting to buy sugar from a small
store on Kreshchatik Street. The crowd was not allowed to line up
on the street but was forced to jam into a courtyard off the street.
3. In the area northwest ev, the fields were yellow
and burned out and no haystacks or signs of threshing. Northeast
of Kiev, the fields also were burned out, but conditions were slightly
better in areas where there were trees or woods.
4.
Western Ukraine) (crop conditions in that area
the Galician area of the
were good.
SECRET-US OFFICIALS ONLY
STATE I
X NAVY
X AIR__ 1XI FSI AEC
The food situation
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/20: CIA-RDP80SO154OR006000030006-2
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/20: CIA-RDP80SO154OR006000030006-2
SECRET-US OFFICIALS ONLY
5.
The entire European part of the Soviet Union
is badly' stricken. The'Volga area, where there has been no
rain and-the land is dry and hard, is the worst of all. The
,situation in that area.is much worse than it-was in 1933; it
is comparable only to the situation in 1921. The harvest in
Siberia,is good,,, but there are not enough men and machines to
gather the entire harvest. The. Government is sending train(s)
east loaded with tractors'and combines to harvest the grain.
a Moscow Radio announcement of a decision of.the
Council of Ministers to send tractors and combines east. L
50X1-HUM
the Party and Government re-
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HUM
cognized that there must be many more tractors and combines in
-
Siberia and the Minister of Agriculture was recruiting
50X1-HUM
operators in the, Ukraine to be sent to Siberia.
7, In Moscow, particularly around the Kiev Railroad Station,
Okolkhozniki buying large amounts of bread.
SECRET-US OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/20: CIA-RDP80SO154OR006000030006-2