This year wheat and barley harvest yields are up, rape yields are about the same, and pea yields are down on last year. The Ministry of Agriculture said in a press release that this year the harvesting of first-group grains and pulses as well as rape was completed on August 11.
Spring and autumn wheat averaged a yield of 3.87 tonnes per hectare, up by 0.77 tonne on last year. Spring and autumn barley averaged 3.4 tonnes per hectare, up 0. 4 tonnes. Rape averaged 2.5 tonnes per ha, roughly the same as in 2016. Pea harvest was 2.68 tonnes per hectare, down 0.18 tonnes on last year.
According to the Ministry, this year the harvest season lasted 30 days because of rainfall in late July and early August.
According to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, world wheat output is estimated at 744 million tonnes, a 1.8 percent drop on 2016. This is partly due to U.S. farmers deciding to reduce areas devoted to wheat and favor more expensive crops instead. Meanwhole, a number of EU countries, as well as Russia, China and India are expected to produce similar amounts as in 2016.
