April 19, 2011

 

Germany sees reduction in grain crop yields

 

 

Germany is set to yield a small grain crop in 2011, as the hard winter and recent dry weather has reduced yields, said the German Farm Cooperatives Association on Monday (Apr 18) in its second harvest forecast.

 

Germany's grain crop of all types is likely to fall to 44.1 million tonnes this year, from the weather-damaged harvest of 44.2 million tonnes in 2010, said the German Farm Cooperatives Association. This is 100,000 tonnes down from its previous estimate.

 

The 2011 rapeseed crop is forecast to fall to 5.2 million tonnes from 5.73 million tonnes in 2010, it said. This is down by some 200,000 tonnes from the March rapeseed forecast.

 

The key harvest of wheat of all types was forecast at 24.5 million tonnes, up from the 24 million tonnes harvested last year but down by 100,000 tonnes on the March forecast.

 

German grain crops suffered an especially hard winter, and dry weather in March and April were bad for crop growth, the association said. Rapeseed had also suffered from the same factors.

 

The harvest of winter barley, used for animal feed, has fallen to 7.86 million tonnes from 8.68 million tonnes last year.

 

The spring barley crop, used for malt production and beer brewing, is likely to fall to 1.62 million tonnes from 1.73 million tonnes last year, the cooperatives said.