Based on the first estimates of this year’s harvest as at 10 June, it is expected that the production of basic cereals will be 6 767 thous. tonnes and the production of rape 1 072 thous. tonnes. Compared to the last year’s harvest, the production of basic cereals is expected to be by 520 thous. tonnes lower (−7.1%) and the production of rape by 173 thous. tonnes lower (−13.9%).

“The harvest has not started yet this year; it will be delayed by two to three weeks due to the cold and rainy weather in spring. Farmers are, for the time being, rather careful about expressing their expectations; they expect a lower production of both cereals and rape, year-on-year. As every year, however, the amount of harvest will largely depend on further weather development,” Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department, says.

The production of basic cereals (excluding grain maize) is estimated in an amount of 6 767  thous. tonnes, which is by 520 thous. tonnes lower (−7.1%) than the last year’s production. Both a lower estimated per hectare yield of 5.48 t/ha (−6.0%) and a decrease in the sowing area to 1 235 thous. hectares (−1.2%) contributed to the year-on-year (y-o-y) decrease in the production. This year’s production of basic cereals is estimated to be by 4.3% lower compared to the average harvest for the last ten years (the area −4.1%; the per hectare yield −0.1%).

“Last year, farmers sowed less winter cereals due to rainy autumn. Areas under winter crops decreased by 76 thousand hectares in total. The decrease in their area was largely replaced by an increase of area under spring cereals, mainly spring wheat and oats. Those are also the only cereals for which a higher harvest is expected,” Dagmar Lhotská from the Agricultural and Forestry Statistics Unit said.

The most frequent crop on fields in the Czech Republic is still winter wheat, which covers over a fourth of the total area under crops (28.9%). Its estimated harvest of 4 171 thous. tonnes is by 628 thous. tonnes lower, y-o-y (−13.1%). The production decrease is mainly due to a decrease of the sowing area to 710 thous. hectares (−8.4%) and also a lower per hectare yield of 5.88 t/ha (−5.2%).
Farmers compensated the decrease of the sowing area of winter wheat mainly by an increase of the sowing area of spring wheat. This year, the sowing area of spring wheat is 75 thous. hectares and the sowing area is more than three times higher compared to the previous year. It is also reflected in the y-o-y increase of the expected production from 103 thous. tonnes to 369 thous. tonnes. This increase is also owing to a higher estimated per hectare yield of 4.91 t/ha (+13,9 %).

The production of spring barley (a cereal with the second largest sowing area, following the winter wheat) is estimated to be 1 083 thous. tonnes, by 3.2% less than in the previous year. The sowing area of spring barley of 216 thous. hectares is almost the same as last year (−0.7%). The per hectare yield of 5.02 t/ha is by 2.5% lower, year-on-year.
The winter barley production in 2021 is expected to be 612 thous. tonnes; it is by 12.3% less, y-o-y, due to both a lower per hectare yield of 5.51 t/ha (−9.5%) and the sowing area, which decreased to 111 thous. hectares (−3.2%).

The expected harvest of oats of 208 thous. tonnes is by 13.6% higher, y-o-y, despite a lower estimated per hectare yield of 3.61 t/ha (−7.9%), namely thanks to a considerable increase in its sowing area to 58 thous. hectares (+23.5%).

The rye production estimated to be 126 thous. tonnes decreased by over a fourth, y-o-y (−26.9%) due to both a decrease in its sowing area to 25 thous. hectares (−20.0%) and a decrease of the per hectare yield to 5.01 t/ha (−8.6%).

The production of triticale this year is estimated to be 198 thous. tonnes; it is by 7.2% lower, y-o-y. The decrease is caused by both a lower per hectare yield of 4.84 t/ha (−4.5%) and a decrease in its sowing area to 41 thous. hectares (−2.9%).

Rape is the second most frequently sown crop (the first one is winter wheat); it is sown on 14.0% of the total area under crops. The rape sowing areas have been decreasing for three years in a row. This year’s sowing area decreased by 7.0%, y-o-y, to 342 thous. hectares. Due to the decrease of the sowing area and of the expected per hectare yield to 3.13 t/ha (−7.4%), the rape production of 1 072 thous. tonnes is by 13.9% lower, y-o-y. The estimated rape production is also by 15.7% lower compared to the ten-year average. The decrease is contributed to by both its lower sowing area (−12.1%) and a lower estimated per hectare yield (−4.1%).

“The decrease of sowing areas of rape and cereals made space for other crops. For example, the sowing area of sunflower for seed, soya, poppy, and field peas considerably increased,” Renata Vodičková, Head of the Agricultural and Forestry Statistics Unit, added.

This year, the sowing area of poppy is 44 thous. hectares (+9.0%), the sowing area of soya is 20 thous. hectares (39.1%), and that of sunflower for seed is 18 thous. hectares (+59.5%). The sowing area of pulses for grain is also higher, y-o-y, it is 43 thous. hectares (+15.5%). The area planted with potatoes decreased by 4.4% to 23 thous. hectares, whereas the area with sugar beet increased by 2.6% to 61 thous. hectares. The total sowing area of maize of 319 thous. hectares is by 1.9% higher compared to the previous year. The area with perennial fodder crops increased by 2.0% to 224 thous. hectares and also the area for growing of vegetables is higher, year-on-year (12 thous. hectares; +7.4 hectares).

More detailed information on estimated per hectare yields and production of selected crops in the Czech Republic as a whole and broken down by Region are given in the related publication: Harvest Estimates – Operative Report as at 10 June 2021. Information on the area and structure of sowing areas is released in the publication: Areas under Crops Survey – 2021. Refined (updated) estimates of production of cereals and rape supplemented by an estimate of production of other crops (field peas, poppy, selected types of vegetables and fruit) will be published by the Czech Statistical Office on 11 August 2021.

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