Germany: Wheat, winter barley harvests expected to increase this year

Germany's 2019 wheat harvest will increase 21.9% on the year to 24.70 million tonnes as hopes of a recovery continue after drought caused massive harvest damage last year, the country's association of farm cooperatives (DRV) said on June 5.

Crops in Germany and much of Western Europe crop were damaged by a drought and heatwave in the summer of 2018.

Germany's 2019 winter rapeseed crop would fall 16.3% percent on the year to 3.07 million tonnes after reduced sowings, the association said in its latest harvest forecast.

The association had in its previous harvest forecast on May 14 estimated Germany's 2019 wheat harvest at 24.28 million tonnes and the winter rapeseed crop at 3.04 million tonnes.

Widespread rain in Germany in past weeks benefited crops after a dry spring, the DRV said, although under soil water reserves remained depleted after last year's drought and more rain was needed up to the harvest to secure a good crop.

A sharp cut in the rapeseed crop is expected because of the reduced planted area.

The rapeseed crop would be the smallest since 1998, it said. Hot and dry weather in the run-up to the harvest could still cut the final crop.

Germany is the European Union's second largest wheat producer after France and in many years the EU’s largest producer of rapeseed, Europe's main oilseed for edible oil and biodiesel production.

The winter barley crop, mostly used for animal feed, would increase 35.5 percent on last year's drought-reduced harvest to 9.99 million tonnes, the association said.

The spring barley crop, used for malt and beer production, was expected to fall by 2.8 percent on the year to 2.14 million tonnes partly because the mild winter has reduced the need to replant other frost-damaged grains.

The grain maize (corn) crop would rise 31.2 percent from last year's heatwave damaged crop to 4.38 million tonnes. Maize crop yields suffered especially from last year's drought.