Saudi Arabia surpassed Russia as the world's largest oil producer in March for the first time in six years, as the Kingdom's crude production swelled to near 31-year high, the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) said Sunday on its website. The JODI World Database is a work in progress. Transparency is the key word behind the initiative and, the free availability of the JODI World Database plays a key role in working toward this ideal. Saudi production numbers compiled by JODI are based on data the Saudi government submitted to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter, boosted shipments to 7.704 million barrels a day in March from 7.485 million barrels a day in February, JODI data showed. Exports from Iran, the second-largest producer in OPEC, fell by 4 percent to 2.242 million barrels a day from 2.338 million barrels a day in February, according to the data. Saudi crude exports rose 3 percent in March, reaching the highest level in five years as Iran cut shipments, according to government statistics posted Sunday on the initiative's website. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest producer, increased daily output to 9.923 million barrels in March, up 0.7 percent to the second-highest level since at least 1980, according to the initiative. That topped output from Russia, which pumped 9.920 million barrels a day, for the first time since February 2006, according to the data. Russia's energy ministry estimated the country's output at 10.36 million barrels a day in March. JODI calculated a different barrel-per-day figure for Russia using data in metric tons that the country submitted to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and comparing that with information from four other sources. The figures for Russia include crude and condensate, JODI said. __
