According to the Greek media cited by Rador Radio Romania, in 2022 the production of cereals in the EU decreased due to the drought prevailing in the main producing countries.

According to Eurostat, 270.9 million tons of cereals were produced in the EU in 2022, which is 26.7 million tons less than in 2021, which means a decrease of 9%.

In 2022, France harvested 59.9 million tons of cereals, becoming the largest producer in the EU and contributing 22% to the total European production. Germany collected 43.5 million tons of grain (16% of the total in the EU), Poland — 35 million tons (13%), Spain — 19.3 million tons (7%), Romania — 18.9 million tons (also about 7 % of the total EU crop).

Causes of decline

The overall decrease in grain production in the EU in 2022 is related to the drought that prevailed in European countries and caused a decrease in production in Romania by 32% (i.e., a decrease of 8.9 million tons), France – by 10% (a decrease of 7 million tons). ), Spain by 24% (a decrease of 6.2 million tons) and Hungary by 35% (a decrease of 4.9 million tons).

But there were also countries, very few, where the total collection of grain increased. Rounding out the list are Germany, which increased production by 3% (1.1 million tons), Finland by 39% (an increase of 1 million tons after a bad harvest in 2021) and Poland by 3% (an increase of 1 million tons). .

Discounted products

The production of soft wheat, corn, and rye decreased, while the production of barley and oats remained almost unchanged. According to Eurostat, 126.7 million tons of common wheat were harvested in the EU in 2022, which is 3.2 million tons less than in 2021, registering a decrease of 2%. Maize production fell by 27% to 53 million tons in 2022 (down 20 million tons from 2021).

Barley production in 2022 is almost unchanged at 52 million tons, as is oat production at 7.5 million tons. On the contrary, in 2022, rye production fell by 8% to 7.8 million tons.

Thermal stress

Severe drought and heat stress have affected cereal production, as these crops are very sensitive to weather conditions both during the growing season and during harvest. In many parts of Europe, the summer of 2022 was the hottest or the second hottest on record since 1991.