Estimates of harvest as at 15 September 2017 confirmed a year-on-year decline in harvest of cereals by 15.2% to yield 7 274 thous. tonnes (-1 301 thous. tonnes) and rape by 16.0% to yield 1 142 thous. tonnes (-217 thous. tonnes). The expected potatoes production of 615 thous. tonnes is by 12.1% lower, year-on-year. The industrial sugar beet harvest shall be 4 096 thous. tonnes, which is almost the same amount as in the last year (-0.5%).

The estimated production as at 15 September 2017 expects a harvest of cereals, including grain maize, of 7 274 thous. tonnes. The year-on-year decline by 1 301 thous. tonnes (−15.2%) is due to a lower per hectare yield of 5.40 t/ha (−15.0%), while the area under this crops of 1 346 thous. hectares remained almost unchanged (−0.3%). This year’s cereal harvest estimate lower than both recent five-year and ten-year averages (by -8.1% and -6.8%, respectively).

The first estimated production of grain maize in an amount of 533 thous. tonnes of grain is by 37.0% lower, namely due to a substantial annual decrease in the per hectare yield to 6.36 t/ha (-35.0%). The area under grain maize of 84 thous. hectares slightly dropped compared to the last-year harvested area (-3.1%). This year assumed production of grain maize is by one third lower than the average harvest of the last decade (-33.3%), a significant decline in the area under this crop (-19.2%) and the per hectare yield (-17.5%).

The expected production of green and silage maize of 7 669 thous. tonnes is by one fifth lower (-19.7%) due to a decline in the per hectare yield to 34.01 t/ha (-16.5%) and also in the area under these crops to 225 thous. hectares (-3.8%), compared to the last year harvested area. The expected production of green and silage maize is by 9.2% lower than the five-year average (area under this crop -2.4% and per hectare yield -6.9%) and by 3.7% higher than the ten-year average (area under this crop +11.5% and per hectare yield -7.0%).

The farmers seeded potatoes on 23 thous. hectares, on the same area as the last year. The estimated production of potatoes of 615 thous. tonnes is by 12.1% lower than the last year one. This year the per hectare yield is to be 26.25 tonnes per hectare, that is by 3.63 t/ha less than that in the last year (-12.1%). This year estimated production of potatoes is comparable to the five–year average (-0.9%) and is by 11.1% lower than the ten-year average of the last decade especially due to a drop in the area under the crop (the area under this crop -10.2% and the per hectare yield -0.9%).

The estimated harvest of industrial sugar beet of 4 096 thous. tonnes is almost at the same level of the last year (-0.5%) due to a decrease in the per hectare yield to 61.96 t/ha (-8.6%) reduced the overall production, although areas under this crop expanded to 66 thous. hectares (+8.8%).

According to the estimate this year rape production is 1 142 thous. tonnes, which is by 217 thous. tonnes lower than the last year (-16.0%). The drop was entirely caused by a decline in the per hectare yield to 2.90 t/ha (-16.2%). The area under this crop was slightly expanded to 394 thous. hectares (+0.3%). This year production estimate is by 14.9% lower than the five-year average (area under this crop +0.1% and the per hectare yield -14.9%) and by 4.9% lower than the ten-year average (area under this crop +4.9% and the per hectare yield -9.1%).

The expected production of poppy seed dropped by over one fourth to 21 thous. tonnes (-26.1%), y-o-y, due to both a decrease in the estimated per hectare yield of 0.65 t/ha (-18.7%) and a reduction in the sowing area of this crop to 33 thous. hectares (-8.3%), compared to the last year.

The estimated production of sunflower for seed at 46 thous. tonnes is by 3.2% higher than its harvest in 2016 owing to a significant expansion of this crop sowing area by 38.0% to 22 thous. hectares although the per hectare yield decreased by 25.3% to attain 2.13 t/ha, y-o-y.

The production of grain peas of 88 thous. tonnes shall be by 27.5% higher than the last year due to a significant expansion of the area under this crop by 30.8% to attain 35 thous. hectares while the per hectare yield is estimated to reach 2.52 t/ha (-2.3%). In the last four years the areas under grain peas have been substantially expanded. This year sowing area of this crop was almost three times larger compared to that of 2013.

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 Estimates – Operative Report as at 15 September 2017’.

___________________
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 Estimates of Crops (Zem V9) and
questionnaire on Areas under Crops (Osev 3-01)
End of data collection: 15 September 2017
End of data processing: 12 October 2017
Following outcomes: Harvest Estimates – Operative Report as at 15 September 2017 -
at https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/harvest-estimates-operative-report-as-at-15-september-2017
Areas under Crops Survey as at 31 May 2017
https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/areas-under-crops-survey-as-at-31-may-2017
Update procedure: The finalised data on the production of agricultural crops for 2017 will be released by the Czech Statistical Office on 16 February 2018.