According to the Federal Government, climate change with heat and drought is increasingly affecting German farmers. “The consequences of the climate crisis can now be seen in our fields and pastures,” said Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) on Friday when the harvest balance sheet for 2022 was presented.
When it comes to income, there are ups and downs. While good yields were reported for some regions or certain crops, farms elsewhere had to accept severe losses. “However, the report also shows that some farmers are already adapting to climate change and are increasingly planting varieties and crops that are better able to cope with heat and drought.”
Despite the drought, the harvest of winter wheat, the most important and most productive grain crop in Germany, reached a little more than 22 million tons. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 4.6 percent, but 0.8 percent less than the multi-year average.
On the other hand, the heat and drought significantly slowed down the grain maize harvest. Around 3.5 million tons are expected – 21.5 percent less than in 2021 and 12.7 percent less than the six-year average. “The poor result for grain maize is significantly reducing the overall balance of the German grain harvest,” says the harvest report.
Ödzemir emphasized that prices climbed especially where production costs rose. “We have to help agriculture to become more independent – for example from synthetic fertilizers, which are produced in an energy-intensive manner and are primarily dependent on Russian gas.” -Politician. “The harvest report is a testament to the climate crisis.”
