Too wet, too little sun, combine harvesters slowed down: the grain harvest was disappointing for many farmers. The general market situation is also difficult.
Farmers in Germany have had a significantly poorer grain harvest this summer due to frequent rain. The German Farmers’ Association announced that the harvest would be 39.3 million tonnes, compared to 42 million tonnes in the 2023 harvest. This is a “sobering assessment”. Harvest quantities and, in some cases, grain quality have suffered considerably in some regions due to recurring and, in some cases, very heavy rainfall.
Farmers’ President Joachim Rukwied described this year’s harvest as another nail-biter that ended in great disappointment. He pointed to extremely wet weather from autumn to early summer and a lack of sunshine. In addition, rain at harvest time often slowed down the combine harvesters. The significantly below-average grain harvest once again shows clearly noticeable effects of climate change. Against this background, the association called on politicians to remove “unrealistic and impractical guidelines” for the industry, for example in plant protection.
Rukwied expressed concern about an “extreme drop in prices”, particularly on the grain markets. In conjunction with high operating costs for energy, for example, it is now hardly possible to grow grain economically in Germany.
Source: Stern
