Estimates of harvest as at 15 September 2016 confirmed a good harvest of cereals at the level of 8 422 thous. tonnes (+3.0%, year-on-year) and rape 1 362 thous. tonnes (+8,4 % year-on-year). The expected potatoes production of 689 thous. tonnes is by 36.5% higher compared to the very low harvest last year. The industrial sugar beet harvest shall be 3 847 thous. tonnes, which is by 12.5% more than in the last year.

The year-on-year comparison of harvests of certain crops, especially maize, potatoes, and sunflower for seed is affected by a deep drop in their production in the last year due to draught and hot weather during the vegetation season.

The estimated production as at 15 September 2016 confirmed a very good harvest of cereals, including grain maize, of 8 422 thous. tonnes which is by 248 thous. tonnes (+3.0%) higher than last year above-average one and by 11.1% higher than the ten-year average as well. This is the fourth highest harvest of cereals since 1920; more cereals were harvested only in 1990 (+5.4%), and in 2004 and 2014 (identically +4.1%). The area under cereals was 1 343 thous. hectares and thus fell by 2.9% compared to the last year one, and the per hectare yield of 6.27 tonnes per hectare is by 6.1% higher year-on-year (y-o-y).

The first estimated production of grain maize in an amount of 642 thous. tonnes of grain is by 45.1% higher than the last year extremely low one, namely due to a substantial annual increase in the per hectare yield to 8.10 t/ha (+46.2%). The area under grain maize of 79 thous. hectares slightly dropped compared to the last-year harvested area (-0.8%). This year assumed production of grain maize, however, does not reach the average harvest of the last decade
(-17.1%) because of a significant decline in the area under this crop (-23.7%) although the per hectare yield was above average (+8.7%).

The expected production of green and silage maize of 9 511 thous. tonnes is also a very good one compared year-on-year and by one third higher (+33.3%) because of the per hectare yield increased to 39.38 t/ha (+35.2%). The area under these crops slightly decreased to 242 thous. hectares (-1.4%) compared to the last year harvested area. The expected production of green and silage maize is by over one third (+35.0%) higher than the ten-year average namely due to expanded areas under these crops (+22.4%) and also due to an increase in the per hectare yield (+10.3%).

The estimated production of potatoes of 689 thous. tonnes is by over a third higher (+36.5%) compared to the extremely low harvest last year. This year the per hectare yield is to be 29.43 tonnes per hectare, that is by 7.17 t/ha more than that in the last year (+32.2%). The sowing area of potatoes enlarged year-on-year by 3.2% to reach 23 thous. hectares. This year estimated production of potatoes is comparable to the ten-year average (-0.2%) due to a good yield (+14.0%) even though the sowing area declined (-12.5%).

The estimated harvest of industrial sugar beet of 3 847 thous. tonnes is by 426 thous. tonnes higher (+12.5%) than the last year production. The increase in production is due to both year-on-year increase in the per hectare yield to 63.35 t/ha (+6.7%) and the expanded of areas under this crop to 61 thous. hectares (+5.4%), y-o-y.

According to the estimate this year rape production is 1 362 thous. tonnes, which is by 8.4% more than the previous year and by 18.2% higher than the ten-year average. This year production estimate is third highest following to the harvests in 2013 and 2014, when production was by 6.0% and 12.9% higher, respectively. The estimated per hectare yield grew slightly year-on-year to 3.46 t/ha (+0.9%) and the area under this crop was expanded to 393 thous. hectares (+7.3%).

The expected production of poppy seed increased to 29 thous. tonnes (+9.4%), y-o-y due to an increase in the sowing area of this crop to 36 thous. hectares (+8.9%) while the expected per hectare yield assumed at 0.82 t/ha is at the same level of the last year.

The estimated production of sunflower for seed at 41 thous. tonnes is by 28.7% higher than its harvest in 2015. The sowing area of this crop grew by 1.3% to 16 thous. hectares and the per hectare yield increased by 26.8% to attain 2.60 t/ha, y-o-y.

The production of grain peas shall be by 8.3% lower than the last year due to a decline in the per hectare yield to 2.70 t/ha (-17.4%) and is estimated to be 72 thous. tonnes. In recent years the areas under grain peas were significantly enlarged and this year sowing area of 27 thous. hectares is more than doubled compared to that in 2013 and is at a similar level as areas under this crop ten years ago.

More detailed information on estimated per hectare yields and productions, also of selected varieties of fruit and vegetables in the Czech Republic as a whole, and broken by region are given in the following publication ‘Harvest Forecasts – Operative Report as at 15 September 2016’.

_____________________
Notes:
Responsible head at the CZSO: Jiří Hrbek, (+420) 274 052 331, e-mail: jiri.hrbek@czso.cz
Contact person: Jiří Hrbek, (+420) 274 052 331, e-mail: jiri.hrbek@czso.cz
Data source: statistical survey of Harvest Forecasts of Crops (Zem V9) and
questionnaire on Areas under Crops (Osev 3-01)
End of data collection: 15 September 2016
End of data processing: 13 October 2016
Following outcomes: Harvest Forecasts – Operative Report as at 15 September 2016 -
at https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/harvest-forecast-operative-report-as-at-15-september-2016
Areas under Crops 2016
https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/areas-under-crops-survey-as-at-31-may-2016
Update procedure: The finalised data on the production of agricultural crops for 2016 will be released by the Czech Statistical Office on 13 February 2017.