Cereal production in Spain under a veil of uncertainty

Extensive crop farmers in Catalonia also find themselves under trouble. As the harvest of winter cereals approaches, the consequences of the lack of rainfall have become more evident. Producers are currently evaluating whether it makes sense to plant summer crops (corn, sunflower, sorghum, or soybeans) once the winter crops have been harvested. They fear that the high costs of planting and subsequent work will outweigh the benefits of a crop that will be surely punished by the lack of water.

The water reserves in some mountain systems are at levels below 50% of the average for the last decade. Aggravating the situation as meltwater won’t be a sufficient source to irrigate crops during the next summer.

The complex situation seems to find no relief in the short term. Institutions such as COCERAL, have cut their cereal production estimates for Spain in the past few days. Their latest report estimates about 20.8 million tons (1.5 million less than the previous report).

Despite the complex scenario, this year’s crop production estimates are still higher than the 2022 production figures (18 million tonnes). This difference is mainly due to an increase in the cultivated area. However, there is still a great degree of uncertainty regarding the outcomes of such forecasts.

You may also like to read: “China’s soybean imports expected to rise from 2023 to 2024.”