Good news for farms, GDP: Grain crops, yields well up in 2013

Wheat, the main crop among Hungarian production of grains, yielded a crop of 5.14 million metric tons, 28% higher than a year earlier and 17% more than the average of the past five years. 

Other statistics relayed in the KSH breakdown included:

●  Rye was produced on 35,000 hectares this year, 2% less land than last year. Production rose by 34% to 105,000 tons, while yield was up 36% year-on-year;

●  10% more barley (nearly 1.1 million tons) was harvested than in 2012, on 3% less land (266,000 hectares) at 14% higher yield;

●  30% more winter barley and 30% less spring barley was produced than in 2012; in relation to the latter, KSH noted that “Because of the long winter, the area of summer crops was smaller than planned”;

●  a total 136,000 tons of oats were harvested, 1% less y.o.y. from a 4% less land area and yield rose 3%; and

●  triticale was harvested from 117,000 hectares, 5% more area than in 2012, with harvested production at 482,000 tons, 40% higher y.o.y. with a 33% increase in yield.

The numbers are particularly fortunate in terms of economic indicators. Last year’s 1.7% contraction in Hungary’s GDP was blamed by the national economy industry in large part to the poor results in agriculture: “the unusually harsh drought […] in itself shrunk GDP by 1% through damaging the agricultural sector” was the explanation at that time.