German '09 grain harvest seen down 5 percent on-year

German farmers expect the 2009 grain harvest to fall by 5 percent on the year to 47.3 tonnes due to lower yields and a smaller planted area, farmers' association Deutscher Raiffeisenverband, or DRV, said Friday (April 3).

Average 2009 grain yield is now forecast down 3.7 percent on the year at 6.84 tonnes a hectare from 7.1 tonnes per hectare. The area under cultivation has shrunk by around 1.5 percent or 100,000 hectares, according to DRV's March survey of its members.

Fields planted in autumn 2008 have suffered under the cold and wet conditions in some regions, DRV said. The association said it also sees a risk of lower yields due to insufficient or no use of fertiliser in some cases.

The rapeseed harvest should increase by around 6 percent to 5.4 million tonnes due to a 7.3 percent increase in planted area, DRV said.