August 23, 2012
Germany''s 2012 grain harvest to rise two million tonnes on year
Germany''s grain harvest of all cereal types for 2012 will increase two million tonnes on year to 43.8 million tonnes.
Despite weather problems, a satisfactory crop had been gathered which will cover demand, the German farming association DBV said on Wednesday (Aug 22).
German grains had suffered from an especially cold winter and rainy start to the summer. But recent sunshine had permitted the crop to be harvested, it said. Harvesting is now approaching completion.
Germany''s 2012 wheat crop is likely to reach around 21 million tonnes against 22.7 million tonnes last year, although harvesting is not quite finished because of the rainy start to the summer, the DBV said.
This is more pessimistic than Germany''s farm cooperatives association, which forecasts the 2012 wheat crop at 22.3 million tonnes.
Major progress has been made with wheat harvesting in past days as sunny weather returned to Germany enabling farmers to harvest wheat in a dry condition, the DBV said.
Wheat quality is generally satisfactory, reaching bread-making standards in most of the country although there are problems with slightly lower protein content in some parts of north and East Germany, it said.
"The report confirms that the German wheat harvest this season is pretty reasonable and that the cold winter and rainy summer start did not cause so much damage as in other countries," one German trader said. "The association also has a name for being conservative in its forecasts."
Germany''s rapeseed harvest is estimated at 4.4 million tonnes, up 15% on the weather-damaged 2011 crop, it said. This was generally achieved by a rise in yields following good crop weather as planted area was little changed. Rapeseed harvesting is generally completed and quality is generally good, with oil content of 40-46%, it said.
The harvest of winter barley, used for animal feed, is also complete and will be up by about 7% on year at 8.6 million tonnes despite damage from especially deep winter frosts, it said.
The harvest of spring barley, used for malt and beer production as well as feed, will rise sharply to 3.1 million tonnes from 2.06 million tonnes last year, it said. This was largely because farmers often decided to replant frost-damaged winter grains with spring barley.
Spring barley quality is also generally good with the low protein level of under 11.5% needed for brewing often achieved, it said.
Germany''s corn harvest starts later in the autumn. Corn plants are generally in good condition as they benefited from the repeated summer rain and the recent hot, sunny period, the DBV said.
The association rejected calls by Germany''s overseas development minister for the country''s biofuel blending programme in gasoline to be scaled back, saying German farmers have sufficient land to produce both enough food and biofuels.
Germany''s increased blending of bioethanol in gasoline produced from grainand sugar as part of its programme to cut greenhouse gases is contributing to higher food prices in the third world, the country''s Development Minister Dirk Niebel said on Monday (Aug 20).
Biofuels are proven to cut greenhouse gases, while other tools to lower emissions such as electric cars were still in the development stage, DBV President Joachim Rukwied said.
"I am firmly convinced that we have found a healthy level of land use for bioenergy production and in the long term will make a reliable contribution to the German energy mix," Rukwied said.