This supposes a "severe" cut in the data of production with regard to the three last years when they reached the 16.8 million tons of average. Fundamentally the drought, although also the damages derived from the plagues of rabbits and the weeds, have decimated of important form the harvest of this year.
According to the calculations of ASAJA, the harvest of cereals will be reduced by 37% compared to the harvest collected in 2018. For crops, a production of 4.2 million tons of soft wheat is expected; 815,000 tonnes in durum wheat; 6 million tons of barley; 807,000 tons of oats; 160,000 tons of rye and 425,000 tons of triticale. (According to data collected in the table below).
By producing areas, the southern area of Castilla y León and Navarra, and the communities of Aragón and Madrid are the most affected, as well as some areas of the provinces of Malaga and Toledo. The rest of Castilla – La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalusia follow it in smaller proportion of damages.
In general terms, it is a medium-low production campaign, according to the zones, due to a sowing with scarcity of precipitations which caused a deficient growth, a very dry winter, with few reserves for the crops, and a scarce spring in precipitation.
Another problem is the extensive damage recorded as a result of wildlife, mainly rabbits but also roe deer, wild boars and bustards that have decimated the harvest and are causing the abandonment of cereal cultivation in some areas. The proliferation of weeds due to the prohibition on the use of phytosanitary products on the SIE (Ecological Interest Areas) surfaces are causing many farmers to dedicate these plots to fallow land.
The main concern of this sector continues to be the chapter on the prices that are at the same levels of 25 years ago, with very high production costs. This is causing the change of cultivation towards woody crops in traditionally cereal areas. This circumstance is especially serious since we are a deficit country in grain feed and depend on imports from third countries.