NFU Releases New UK Production Estimates
Having released figures for England only last week, the NFU today released it's first estimates of UK grain and oilseed production for 2009.
Wheat production is down on the five year average by over a million tonnes and sharply lower than last season's bumper crop to 13.9 MMT, they say.
Difficult autumn planting conditions, high input prices and declining forward prices, contributed to farmers planting less cereals and oilseed rape and turning to lower input crops. These factors, coupled with drought affecting second wheat and spring barley in England, caused output of cereals to decline by an overall 14 per cent but oilseed rape yields offset lower plantings with production very similar to 2008, they add.
The 2009 UK winter barley production is estimated at 2.5 million tonnes and spring barley production is estimated at 3.8 million tonnes, giving a combined crop of 6.3 million tonnes, fractionally higher than the 6.1 million tonnes produced last year.
Oilseed rape (spring and winter combined) has seen UK production estimated at around two million tonnes with yield increases over 2008 despite total plantings decreasing, they added.
Wheat production is down on the five year average by over a million tonnes and sharply lower than last season's bumper crop to 13.9 MMT, they say.
Difficult autumn planting conditions, high input prices and declining forward prices, contributed to farmers planting less cereals and oilseed rape and turning to lower input crops. These factors, coupled with drought affecting second wheat and spring barley in England, caused output of cereals to decline by an overall 14 per cent but oilseed rape yields offset lower plantings with production very similar to 2008, they add.
The 2009 UK winter barley production is estimated at 2.5 million tonnes and spring barley production is estimated at 3.8 million tonnes, giving a combined crop of 6.3 million tonnes, fractionally higher than the 6.1 million tonnes produced last year.
Oilseed rape (spring and winter combined) has seen UK production estimated at around two million tonnes with yield increases over 2008 despite total plantings decreasing, they added.
