Grain Harvest in Austria Decreased

With 4.86 million tons, the total harvest was 8 percent below the average of the last ten years, according to Statistik Austria on Monday. The main reason for the decline are the weather conditions, especially the drought in spring and the wet autumn.

Grain Harvest: Wheat and Rye Harvest Lower Than 2023

Excluding corn, the grain harvest amounted to 2.8 million tons, which represents a significant decrease of 9 percent compared to both the previous year and the ten-year average. The rainy autumn made it difficult to plant winter crops, whose area declined in favour of summer and autumn crops, the statisticians write in a statement. The initially very warm and dry spring led to a reduced tillering, i.e. a low formation of side shoots, in the summer and autumn crops, but extensive rainfall from the end of April allowed for good grain filling.

The wheat harvest amounted to 1.56 million tons, 9 percent less than in 2023 and 5 percent below the ten-year average. In the case of rye, a strong decrease in area of 16 percent compared to 2023 and low yields were noticeable: production here fell to a record low of 127,900 tons, a decrease of 27 percent compared to the previous year. In the case of corn, the cultivation area decreased by 2 percent compared to 2023 due to the unfavourable market situation. In addition, heat and drought during the sensitive flowering phase led to yield deficits, which pushed corn production down to 2.06 million tons (minus 2 percent compared to 2023, minus 5 percent compared to the ten-year average).

Things went better with root crops, where due to a strong expansion in sugar beet cultivation (plus 7,300 hectares) not only a higher harvest is expected compared to the previous year, but the ten-year average is also likely to be exceeded by 14 percent. According to current estimates, the sugar beet harvest is expected to be a quarter higher than last year at 3.35 million tons. However, the sugar content is expected to be low due to the rainy autumn. The area of potatoes also increased (plus 6 percent compared to 2023) and the harvest quantity increased by 17 percent compared to the previous year to 693,600 tons.

(APA/Red)

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