The harvest, which is still in full swing in Wallonia, is generally good, both from the point of view of the quality and the quantity of cereals. However, some yields can vary greatly from one field to another, while growers are faced with sharply rising production costs.
“It’s generally good but heterogeneous: in the same sector, we can have a snail yield that varies from six to 12 tons per hectare. Same thing for wheat, where the yield can range from eight to 14 tons per hectare“, explains Olivier Henroz, cereals manager of Walagri, a company particularly active in the collection of cereals and oilseeds.
These disparities can be explained by difficult sowing and the fact that some plots were damaged last year during a very wet late autumn. In Hesbaye Liège, where the land is deep and loamy, “we have record yields. In Hainaut, it is more complicated and disparate. In the Condroz, we are a little below average yields“, continues the specialist. “The quality is also very good. The wheats are healthy, well filled“, still notes Olivier Henroz.
Good news to replace sunflower produced in Ukraine
For rapeseed, yields are up 20% this year, which is very good news in the context of the war in Ukraine, and the resulting shortages for sunflower oil. Rapeseed oil is widely used as a substitute for sunflower oil by food companies. Rapeseed is also used in biofuels.
Mixed results for spelled
Finally, for spelled, “it drags a bit more, the yields don’t look too good. We are below the average of the last five years“, concludes Olivier Henroz.
Falling harvests at European level
On the side of the Walloon Federation of Agriculture (Fwa), it is confirmed that the yields of cereals are “bons” this year in the south of the country. “But at European level, the Copa (the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organizations, which represents more than 22 million European farmers, editor’s note) forecasts cereal harvests down this year by 4.4% compared to 2021 and 3.8% compared to the average of previous years“, underlines on the sidelines of the Libramont Agricultural Fair Aurélie Noiret, adviser to the agricultural union’s study service.
The Fwa recalls in passing that production costs, including fertilizers, exploded following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As for cereal prices, they are currently high, but they remain very subject to volatility and not all farmers are lucky enough to sell their production when prices are highest.