Persistent rain in recent days and weeks is delaying Germany's harvest, especially of wheat and rapeseed, creating uncertainty about the crop outcome, the Association of German Farmers said on Wednesday. Wheat harvesting started in mid-July in early areas but rain means work is far from complete. Germany is the European Union's second largest wheat producer and exporter after France. Germany and France are the two leading producers of rapeseed, Europe's most important oilseed for edible oil and biodiesel production.
France's harvest has also been cut by bad weather this year. "The unfavourable weather conditions mean that in some areas of Germany only a maximum of about one-third of the wheat harvest has been completed," the association said in a harvest report. "In many regions wheat harvesting has only just started, which means that any statements about yields must be made with great uncertainty." It is possible that German winter wheat yields will be about 10 to 20 percent below last year, it said.
"In order to retain the quality of winter wheat, farmers are hoping that harvesting can be rapidly resumed in dry weather," it said. But showers fell in Germany again on Wednesday and are forecast to continue regionally to Friday. Rain has also delayed rapeseed harvesting and about 75 percent of the area has now been gathered, the association said.
Summer rain means some rapeseed is suffering from fungal diseases and pest attacks. Germany's 2016 rapeseed harvest is expected to fall 500,000 tonnes on the year to around 4.5 million tonnes, it said. Germany's 2016 winter barley harvest is expected to fall 10 percent on the year to 8.6 million tonnes, it said.