Hungary's maize crop is seen at 7.4 million tonnes this year, roughly in line with last year's result, and farmers have all but completed the wheat harvest, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday. Based on a preliminary crop estimate, the ministry projected the average maize crop yield at 6.63 tonnes per hectare - 2 percent higher than in 2009 - on a total area of 1.12 million hectares sown.
It said the condition of maize plantings varied in different regions due to low temperatures and unseasonal amounts of rain in spring, which also damaged wheat plantings. As of August 11, Hungary's wheat harvest was 99 percent completed, and the crop came in at 3.72 million tonnes, down 16 percent from last year and a fifth below the five-year average, the ministry said. The crop yield in wheat was 3.76 tonnes per hectare, down 3 percent from last year and 11 percent below the five-year average, the ministry said.