Germany's winter rapeseed planted area for the 2019 harvest has been reduced by 27.5% on the year to around 886,000 hectares, Germany's national statistics office said in its latest estimates on Monday. A major reduction was widely anticipated after unusually dry autumn weather following last summer's heatwave meant the ground was too parched to carry out rapeseed sowings in some areas.
Germany's winter wheat sown area for the 2019 harvest has been expanded by 5% to 3.03 million hectares, the statistics office said. The area planted with winter barley increased 12.1% to 1.36 million hectares. Analysts had expected an increase in winter wheat and winter barley sowings partly to replace the unplanted rapeseed area.
The area sowed with spring grains including spring wheat, spring barley and oats has been reduced by 22.0% percent to 545,000 hectares, it said.
A reduction had also been generally expected as Germany's unusually mild winter has reduced the traditional need to re-sow frost-damaged winter crops with spring grains.
The area sown with maize (corn) grain increased 7.1% to 440,000 hectares.
The area with silo maize increased 4.9% to 2.3 million hectares. Silo maize is largely used for farm animal feed needs and biogas production and is rarely sold on the market.
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