Hungary's 2009 cereal crop at 5.99 million tonnes; down 24 percent from 2008

Hungary cereal crop fell sharply in 2009 from the previous year as well as from the crop average of 2004-2008, the Central Statistics Office, or KSH, said Friday (September 18).

The cereal crop totalled 5.99 million tonnes this year, down 24 percent from 2008. The 2009 crop was down 15 percent from the average of the past five years.

Wheat, one of the most significant grains in Hungary, yielded a total crop of 4.40 million tonnes, down 22 percent from 2008 while its sowing area was up 1 percent at 1.14 million hectares. The average yield per hectare was 3.85 tonnes, down sharply from 4.98 tonnes a year earlier.

Barley, the only other cereal with a crop exceeding a million tonnes, yielded a total crop of 1.03 million tonnes this year, down 30 percent from a year earlier.