Germany: German cereal crop affected both by rain and by sun this year

Germany's cereal crop is expected to come up short this year after enduring months of heat and dryness during the spring and early summer months and being inundated later by rain in the northeastern part of the country, Deutsche Welle reported on August, 29.

The German farmers' association DBV estimates some 39 million tons of cereals - wheat, barley, rye, triticale, oats and corn - will be harvested this year. That's down nearly 12 percent from 44 million tons in 2010.

Wheat is particularly affected, and the overall cereal output is down in the northeastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein. In addition to cereals, rapeseed output is expected to drop 34 percent from about 5.7 million tons in 2010 to an estimated 3.7 million tons this year.

DBV spokesman Johannes Funke said this year's harvest has so far been a "serious disappointment" for farmers.

According to the farmers’ association, Germany’s winter barley harvest declined by 26% this year.

31 August, 2011