Aug 28 (Reuters) - Russian wheat export prices held
steady last week, and supplies were plentiful, analysts said.
    The price of 12.5%-protein Russian wheat scheduled for
free-on-board (FOB) delivery in September was $246 per tonne
last week, up from $245 a week earlier, the IKAR agriculture
consultancy reported.
    Sovecon sees the price for this class of wheat at $250-$254
per tonne FOB, about the same as the previous week.
    Analysts continue to raise their forecasts for this year's
Russian wheat harvest: Russia-focused agricultural consultancy
Sovecon raised its forecast to 92.1 million tonnes from 87.1
million tonnes after good yields in the centre of the country
and the Volga region.
    Sovecon analysts referred to the price floor set for Russian
wheat, which they attributed to the high bid price at the latest
GASC tender.
    "This is another confirmation of the Russian AgMin's
attempts to establish a 12.5% wheat price floor of $270 FOB for
tenders and $260 for non-tender deals. There are reports that
the AgMin plans to increase this threshold by $5 during the next
few months ($275 per tonne for October, $280 for November)", -
Sovecon said in its weekly note.
    Sovecon estimates total Russian wheat exports in August at
5.1 million tonnes, compared with 3.5 million tonnes in August
2022 and an historic average of 4.7 million tonnes for the month
of August. 
    Russia exported 1.24 million tonnes of grain last week
compared to 1.26 million tonnes a week earlier, including 1.15
million tonnes of wheat compared with 1.19 million tonnes a week
earlier, Sovecon wrote in its weekly note, citing port data. 
    "Outstanding wheat export sales on Friday increased by 0.2
metric tonnes to 5.9 metric tonnes, a new record high indicating
that the exporters are somehow coping with the AgMins
intervention attempts", Sovecon said.
    The wheat harvest as of Aug. 24 totalled 70.6 million tonnes
(versus 77.7 million tonnes  year earlier) from 18.1 million
hectares (versus 18.3 million hectares), with an average yield
of 3.90 tonnes per hectare (4.25 tonnes per hectare).
    This accounts for 61% of the total area. 

    Other Russian data provided by Sovecon and IKAR:
 Product:              Most recent data:    Change from week
                                                     earlier
 - Domestic 3rd class      13,850 rbls/t         -125 rbls/t
 wheat, European part                     
 of Russia, excludes                      
 delivery (Sovecon)                       
 - Sunflower seeds         27,950 rbls/t         -875 rbls/t
 (Sovecon)                                
 - Domestic sunflower      82,675 rbls/t         +675 rbls/t
 oil (Sovecon)                            
 - Domestic soybeans       36,000 rbls/t       +1,000 rbls/t
 (Sovecon)                                
 - Export sunflower               $830/t                -$40
 oil (IKAR)                               
 - White sugar,                $630.30/t              -$0.70
 Russia's south                           
 (IKAR)                                   
 
 (Reporting by Olga Popova
Editing by Barbara Lewis)