2022 Edition 50 MONTHLY STATISTICAL BULLETIN Drought contributed to the second worst winter cereal harvest in 105 years The current cereal campaign, strongly marked by a severe to extreme drought that has accompanied much of the growing cycle of winter cereals, is expected to be the second worst since systematic records exist, only higher than the 2012 production and close to that of 2005 (also years of extreme droughts). Specifically, agricultural forecasts1 as of 31 July point to a fall in production, compared to the previous campaign, of around: • 30% in common wheat, triticale, and barley; • 25% in oats; • 15% on durum wheat and rye. Common wheat production on the mainland (forecast as of 31 July) 39 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 f 103 t Potatoes were also affected by drought and very high temperatures that inhibited tuberisation, resulting in lower yields and marketing difficulties. As a consequence, the following is expected: • irrigated potatoes will see a 15% decrease production-wise; • the non-irrigated potatoes will account for a 30% decrease in production. On the other hand, despite the rising prices of inputs and the scarcity of irrigation water that, in many private irrigation schemes, has conditioned the frequency and allocation of irrigation, the scenario for spring crops is not so negative: • a 5% increase in the maize area; • the maintenance of yield in rice and tomatoes for processing, in comparison with the previous year. 1 In the graphs, the letter f next to the reference year will mean that they are forecast figures.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM5MTA=