Brussels, Belgium
March 8, 2005+40% in
the ten new Member States
In 2004 the EU25
produced nearly 290 million tonnes of cereal crops1,
the highest level of cereal production in the last ten years.
Compared to 2003, production rose by 24%, although this notable
increase is partially explained by a poor harvest for some
countries in 2003. The large cereal harvest in 2004 was mainly
due to very favourable climatic conditions during the whole crop
year. At 55 hundred kg per hectare, the average yield was more
than 20% higher than the previous year, while the area under
cereals reached 53 million hectares, 2% more than in 2003.
All Member States, except
Denmark, Cyprus and Finland, had a larger
harvest in 2004 than in 2003. France, the largest
cereal-producer in the EU25, harvested 70 million tonnes
of cereals in 2004 (+27% compared with 2003), followed by
Germany (51 mn tonnes, +29%), Poland (29 mn tonnes,
+24%) and Spain (24 mn tonnes, +17%). The ten new Member
States, who accounted for around 20% of the EU25 total
harvest, registered a rise in their cereal production of more
than 40% on average between 2003 and 2004, twice that recorded
for the EU15.
These figures come from a
report2 issued by
Eurostat, the Statistical
Office of the European Communities.
France, Germany and Poland
account for more than half of EU25 production
Common wheat accounted for 43%
of total EU25 cereal production in 2004. At 125 mn
tonnes, common wheat production was the highest in the last ten
years, 27% higher than 2003. The three largest producers of
common wheat in the EU25, France, Germany
and the United Kingdom, accounted for more than
60% of production. France harvested 38 mn tonnes in 2004
(+29% compared with 2003), Germany 25 mn tonnes (+32%)
and the United Kingdom 16 mn tonnes (+12%).
Barley production in the
EU25 was 62 mn tonnes in 2004, up 13% compared with 2003.
Germany, the largest producer, had a harvest of almost 13 mn
tonnes (+22% compared with 2003). France and Spain
each harvested 11 mn tonnes (+12% and +22% respectively).
The EU25 harvest of
grain maize reached 53 mn tonnes in 2004, an increase of 28%
over 2003. France (16 mn tonnes) and Italy (11 mn
tonnes) together accounted for half of total production. Both
recorded significant growth: +31% and +23% respectively.
Durum wheat was grown in eleven
Member States. Production reached 12 mn tonnes in 2004, up 40%
on the previous year. Italy (5.5 mn tonnes) accounted for
nearly half of total production. Production of oats and mixed
grain in 2004 was 7% higher than the previous year at 14 mn
tonnes. Poland (5.4 mn tonnes) harvested 40% of the
EU25 total.
Cereal
production, excluding rice
Thousand tonnes
| |
Total
|
Of which in
2004:
|
| |
2003
|
2004
|
% growth
2004/2003
|
Common wheat
|
Barley
|
Grain maize
|
|
EU25
|
231 787
|
287 329*
|
24.0
|
124 690
|
61 625*
|
53 010
|
|
Belgium
|
2 613
|
2 837
|
8.5
|
1 856
|
306
|
584
|
|
Czech Republic
|
5 762
|
8 869
|
53.9
|
5 077
|
2 367
|
558
|
|
Denmark
|
9 051
|
9 039
|
-0.1
|
4 787
|
3 634
|
-
|
|
Germany
|
39 426
|
50 813
|
28.9
|
25 298
|
12 967
|
4 062
|
|
Estonia
|
506
|
600
|
18.6
|
185
|
290
|
-
|
|
Greece
|
4 110
|
4 330
|
5.4
|
274
|
238
|
2 210
|
|
Spain
|
20 308
|
23 805
|
17.2
|
4 393
|
10 609
|
4 681
|
|
France
|
54 807
|
69 644
|
27.1
|
37 577
|
10 999
|
15 743
|
|
Ireland
|
2 147
|
2 418
|
12.6
|
962
|
1 310
|
-
|
|
Italy
|
16 462
|
20 937
|
27.2
|
3 052
|
1 133
|
10 679
|
|
Cyprus
|
151
|
80
|
-47.0
|
-
|
72*
|
-
|
|
Latvia
|
932
|
1 043
|
11.9
|
493
|
278
|
-
|
|
Lithuania
|
2 632
|
2 800
|
6.4
|
1 432
|
815
|
4
|
|
Luxembourg
|
164
|
179
|
9.2
|
80
|
53
|
3
|
|
Hungary
|
8 758
|
16 557*
|
89.0
|
5 969
|
1 423
|
8 135
|
|
Malta
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Netherlands
|
1 917
|
1 974
|
2.9
|
1 249
|
297
|
280
|
|
Austria
|
4 264
|
5 315
|
24.7
|
1 630
|
1 007
|
1 654
|
|
Poland
|
23 391
|
29 038
|
24.1
|
9 513
|
3 513
|
2 435
|
|
Portugal
|
1 038
|
1 069
|
3.0
|
36
|
13
|
798
|
|
Slovenia
|
399
|
565
|
41.7
|
147
|
60
|
338
|
|
Slovakia
|
2 490
|
3 900
|
56.6
|
1 789
|
968
|
846
|
|
Finland
|
3 783
|
3 619
|
-4.3
|
782
|
1 725
|
-
|
|
Sweden
|
5 352
|
5 512
|
3.0
|
2 409
|
1 693
|
-
|
|
United Kingdom
|
21 323
|
22 387
|
5.0
|
15 700
|
5 860
|
-
|
- No production
* Estimated by Eurostat
(1) Cereals include common
wheat, durum wheat, barley, grain maize, rye and maslin, oats
and mixed grain other than maslin, triticale and minority types
of cereals such as sorghum, buckwheat, millet and canary seed.
(2) Eurostat, Statistics in
Focus, Agriculture and Fisheries, 10/2005, “2004 Cereal Harvest:
The most productive harvest in ten years”, PDF version free
download from Eurostat
website. |
