German Farmers' Association expects below average cereal production
July 3, 2019 at 1:55 PM ,
Der AUDITOR
"The direct comparison with the extreme year 2018 distorts the picture somewhat. We expect this year's production to be just below average. The impact of the drought are still clearly perceptible. For many farms the tense economic situation will not improve this year either," Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers' Association, states.
The conditions for this year's production were anything but ideal. Last summer's extreme drought-like conditions continued until the sowing of winter cereals in autumn. At the beginning of the year it was still far too dry. In May, rain and cold temperatures, finally, had a positive impact. "The distribution of rain varied greatly from region to region. Due to the dry soil, especially in Eastern Germany, considerable drought damage can be observed in some places. Heavy rains and hailstorms also had an adverse impact," Rukwied states. Nevertheless it shas to be noted that the plant are in good shape in large parts of Germany, although the extreme heat in the last week of June may have damaged the winter wheat. Great heat and lack of water have a detrimental effect on yields.
Sowing was completed on 6.4 million ha. With ancreage amounting to 3 million ha, winter wheat is the most popularly cultivated cereal and this year's acreage is only slightly below the 5-year moving average (2013-2017) of 3.1 million ha. The impact of last year's drought is particularly noticeable when it comes to winter rapeseed. At 887,000 ha, acreage has declined by 30% since last year. Problem is that sowing took place in the middle of the drought phase. Produciton is estimated at 3.1 million mt.
Source: German Farmers' Association (DBV)
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