Germany: Wheat crop expected to fall by 5.1%, winter barley by 9.4% this year
Germany's 2020 wheat crop of all types is expected to fall by 5.1% to 21.88 million tonnes, the agriculture ministry estimated on August 28.
A fall had been widely expected after farmers reduced wheat sowed area for the 2020 harvest by 9.1%.
The ministry said this was partly compensated for by a 4.4% increase in wheat yields per hectare following a mild winter and as early summer rains helped crops after springtime dryness.
The harvest has not suffered such serious weather damage as seen elsewhere in Europe, with France’s wheat crop falling around 25% and Britain’s expected to drop about 35%.
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.
It is still too early to assess Germany's wheat quality but most criteria are reasonable, the ministry said.
The rapeseed harvest will rise 24.4% on the year to 3.51 million tonnes, the ministry said. A rise had been generally expected following an exceptionally poor crop last year.
Winter grain and rapeseed harvesting in the country is now finishing, the ministry said. Its estimates are based on harvest results rather than estimates of expected yields.
The harvest of winter barley, largely used for animal feed, is expected to fall 9.4% to 8.84 million tonnes.
The spring barley crop, used for malt and beer production, will rise 11.6% to 2.04 million tonnes.
The grain maize crop starting in the autumn, will rise 5.7% to 3.84 million tonnes.
The German government's programme to encourage soybean cultivation is showing some success, with plantings for the 2020 crop expanded 13.8% to 32,900 hectares but with no harvest forecast available, the ministry said.
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