Czech Republic: Hop-growing area declining in Czech Republic
Hops are grown on 5,640 hectares in the Czech Republic this year, a fall of 212 ha on the year, and the hop-growing area has decreased by 635 ha since 2000, Zdenek Rosa from the hop growers association told CTK May 15.
Hop field renovation is costly, hop growers lack money and subsidies are missing, said Rosa.
"Areas planted with hops were smaller 135 years ago. In 1871, there were 5,300 ha of hop fields in Bohemia and areas have expanded since that time," Rosa said.
In 1993, there were 10,547 ha of hop fieds, the highest figure, and since that time the hop-growing area has declined by 48 percent.
Almost a half of hop plants is older than 15 years, three years above the ideal average.
It costs about CZK 500,000-700,000 to build one hectare of a new hop field.
Higher subsidies are needed to stop the fall of the hop-growing area. Hop growers believe EU money will be drawn to boost hop growing in the Czech Republic between 2007 and 2013, said Rosa.
Czech hop harvest amounted to 7,831.2 tonnes last year, a year –to-year rise of 24 percent from 6,310 tonnes, with yield at 1.38 tonnes per hectare, while in 2004 it was 0.3 tonnes per hectare less. The hop quality was also very good.
The Czech Republic ranks third after Germany and the US by the hop-growing area. Its position is, however, jeopardised by China which is also the world’d biggest beer producer, with annual output at 270 million hectolitres.
Some 80-85 percent of Czech hops are exported, with Japan the biggest buyer, making up 35 percent of Czech exports last year. Hops have been exported to Japan for 100 years already.
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