German 2021 wheat crop to fall 3.6% after adverse weather

HAMBURG: Germany's 2021 wheat crop of all types is expected to fall 3.6% on the year to 21.37 million tonnes after poor weather, according to estimates released by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday.

Crops suffered from swings in weather, with a cold spring followed by a hot, dry start to the summer and then unwelcome harvest-time rain and storms, the ministry said in preliminary forecasts for the 2021 harvest.

The country's winter rapeseed harvest will increase only 0.2% on the year to 3.52 million tonnes with crops also suffering from the poor weather, the ministry said.

Germany is the European Union's second largest wheat producer after France and is often the bloc's largest producer of rapeseed, Europe's main oilseed for edible oil and biodiesel production.

France's harvest has also suffered from rainy summer weather.

Torrential rain in Germany in July, which caused flooding and loss of life, was followed by widespread rain in August.

This caused repeated interruption to harvesting work causing a "nail biting period" for farmers concerned about whether they would be able to gather their crops, the ministry said.

It is not yet possible for detailed judgements about wheat quality, it said.

"Expectations for the harvest had long been optimistic," said German agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner. "In many areas, harvesting was disrupted by showers and storms, and both yields and quality suffered."

First indications of wheat quality criteria show protein content little changed on the year but test weights lower.

The winter barley harvest will rise 2.2% on the year to 8.96 million tonnes, while the spring barley crop, used in malt and beer production, will fall 18.4% to 1.62 million tonnes. The grain maize (corn) crop will fall 1.8% to 3.94 million tonnes.

The ministry said it was not yet possible to make a forecast about Germany's sugar beet crop.