Harvest forecast - August 2007

According to the situation on 15 August 2007, the Czech Statistical Office is expecting the production of 6 362 thousand tonnes of main cereals, 752 thousand tonnes of potatoes and 2 549 thousand tonnes of sugar beet. In comparison to the 2006 harvest, these figures are by 597 thousand tonnes (10.3%) and 60 thousand tonnes (8.6%) higher for main cereals and potatoes respectively, and by 589 thousand tonnes (-18.8%) lower for sugar beet. Rape production should reach 1 032 thousand tonnes, i.e. 152 thousand tonnes (17.2%) more compared to the 2006 harvest.
The estimated production of 6 362 thousand tonnes of main cereals confirms that this year’s harvest is higher thanks to winter cereals which wintered well in the mild weather and grew relatively unaffected by the spring drought. The yields of winter cereals are markedly above those in 2006, rye recorded the highest increase of 37.5%, winter barley 27.2% and triticale 30.3%. The dry spring period did not reduce dramatically the yields of spring cereals either; the yields of spring wheat and spring barley are down by 7.7% and 2.3% respectively.

The production of rape, under an expected yield of 3.06 t/ha (after 3.01 t/ha in 2006) and larger sown area 338 thousand ha (292 thousand ha in 2006), should reach 1 032 thousand tonnes (880 thousand tonnes in 2006) and exceed for the first time in the Czech Republic’s history one million tonnes.

Production of other potatoes and sugar beet was forecasted for the first time this year.

In total a 32 thousand ha area is under potatoes this year. In comparison to 2006 when the area under potatoes hit an all-time low (30 thousand ha), the increase is nearly 2 thousand ha (6.3%). Despite extreme drought in the first half of the year local precipitation in the main potato growing areas acted in favour of the farmers. The average yield is expected at 23.57 t/ha (after 23.05 t/ha in 2006). The potato harvest should reach 752 thousand tonnes (692 thousand tonnes in 2006), i.e. by 8.6% more.

There was another sharp decrease in the area sown of sugar beet (-11.0%), from 61 thousand tonnes in 2006 to 54 thousand tonnes, owing to decreasing sugar production in the framework of the common sugar market organisation in EU countries. The production of 2 549 thousand tonnes is expected this year (after 3 138 thousand tonnes in 2006), i.e. down by 18.8%. The expected yield is 46.97 t/ha, i.e. by 8.8% less than in 2006.

More detailed information broken down by region including data on other crops is given in related tables Harvest forecast – August 2007.

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Note
Contact: Jiří Hrbek, tel. (+420) 274 052 331, e-mail: jiri.hrbek@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO sample survey in businesses farming agricultural land
End of data collection: 15 August 2007
End of data processing: 5 September 2007
Related tables: Harvest forecast – August 2007 (containing more detailed information on yield and production forecast for selected fruits and early potatoes )
Update procedure: The next yield and production forecast for selected crops as at 15 September 2007 will be released by the Czech Statistical Office on 8 October 2007.