DRV estimates German harvest at previous year's level In its most recent April issue, the German Raiffeisen Association (DRV ) estimates the German grain harvest at 45.8 million . t. This corresponds approximately to the previous year's result, but falls short of a 5-year average of 47.8 million tonnes. Notable wintering damage can not be determined despite the renewed cold snap at the end of March. Rather, grain stocks have performed well overall since the month-change due to the mild weather , even though they are often weaker in the north than in the south and west. Nevertheless, the vegetation is currently two to three weeks back compared to the long-term average. However, the residue is decreasing daily due to the current almost summer temperatures.The wheat harvest is estimated to be -0.8% lower compared to the previous year to 24.3 million tons. A -2.2% smaller acreage will be partially offset by a 1.5% higher yield. At Wintergerste, around 9.1 million tonnes are expected to match the previous year's level. Increased summer barley cultivation is expected to contribute to a harvest increase of 12.4%. In the case of rye , a harvest volume of a good 3.0 million tonnes is predicted, which is +11.7% above the weak previous year's result. In addition to a small increase in space, an estimated increase in earnings of approx. 10% lead to this result.The sowing of summer crops is almost complete except for maize. The maize sowing runs in large parts of the country and is thus approximately in the long-term average. The acreage is said to be + 5.7% larger, but it is not expected to yield high yields in excess of 105 dt / ha in the previous year. Overall, a corn crop of 4.3 million tonnes or 6.1% less than in the previous year is expected. Yield forecasts assume average climate data with sufficient rainfall during yield formation. But that remains an uncertain factor.
