The total cereal harvest in Austria this year totalled 4.86 million tonnes, a 6% decline on the previous year, new data from Statistics Austria has revealed.
This is a 8% decline on the ten-year average, the data showed, and reflects challenging weather conditions, including a dry spring and a wet autumn, which negatively affected growth and harvest activities.
The harvest volume of oilseeds and dry pulses such as soya and rape was 8% lower than in 2023, while the production of root crops, including sugar beet and potatoes, is expected to increase by close to a quarter (24%), to 4.04 million tonnes.
Cereal production
Wheat production, which is the largest cereal category in Austria, fell to 1.56 million tonnes, a 9% decrease compared to 2023 and 5% below the ten-year average. Rye production, meanwhile, was down 27%, due to reduced acreage and low yields.
Elsewhere, grain maize production reported a 2% decrease on the previous year, amounting to 2.06 million tonnes, and barley production was down 6% year-on-year, to 716,100 tonnes.
Commenting on cereal production this year, Statistics Austria said, ‘The wet autumn made it more difficult to grow winter crops, the area of which declined in favour of summer and autumn crops. The initially very warm and dry spring led to reduced tillering, i.e. to a low formation of side shoots, but extensive rainfall from the end of April allowed good grain filling.’
In terms of oilseeds and dry pulses, soybean production was down 9% on the previous year, while pumpkin seed oil production increased by 47%, supported by a 16% rise in cultivated area and higher yields. Rape production fell by 18%, year-on-year.
Root crops
With regard to root crops, sugar beet production was up by a quarter, due to a significant 7,300-hectare expansion in cultivation area, although the sugar content of the harvest was lower due to a wet autumn. Potato production was up 17% on the previous year, again driven by an expansion in cultivation area, to 693,600 tonnes.
Statistics Austria compiled these results using data from Agrarmarkt Austria’s yield surveys and estimates from approximately 2,000 voluntary harvest consultants. Read more here.
