Among several cereal crops, this year’s yield levels were lower than or matched levels in 1992, which was also a severe drought year. The yield per hectare of spring barley was 42 percent lower than the previous year and 40 percent lower than the average in the five most recent years. The yield per hectare of winter wheat was 35 percent lower than the previous year. Yield levels of autumn-sown crops were lower due to a combination of drought and the previous year’s rainy autumn.

Smaller areas of autumn sown high-yield crops is another factor that offset the total yield. Winter wheat is the crop with the highest yield per hectare in Sweden, and smaller areas of winter wheat therefore have significant impact on the total cereal harvest. Between 2017 and 2018, winter wheat areas decreased by 28 percent.

Total rape and turnip rape yield was the lowest since 2007

The total yield of rape and turnip rape is preliminarily estimated at 214 700 tonnes, which is 43 percent less than in the previous year, 33 percent less than the five-year average and was the smallest rape and turnip rape harvest since 2007. The yield per hectare of winter rape, which is the dominant crop, was 32 percent lower than the previous year and 33 percent lower than the five-year average.

Total yield of peas 43 percent lower than last year

The total yield of peas is estimated at 47 100 tonnes, 43 percent less than the previous year. The yield per hectare of peas was 37 percent lower than both the previous year and the five-year average.

Total yield of field beans is 69 percent lower than last year

Field beans is a relatively drought-sensitive crop, and this year’s yield per hectare was 64 percent less than both the previous year and the five-year average. The total yield of field beans is estimated at 34 300 tonnes, which is less than one third of the corresponding yield in 2017.

A more detailed report of this survey and the results for individual crops is published in Statistical Report JO19 SM 1801, available on the Statistics Sweden website at Statistical Report under Agriculture, forestry and fishing and on the Swedish Board of Agriculture website at www.jordbruksverket.se under Statistics.

Statistical databases

Time series with the final harvest statistics are available in Statistics Sweden’s statistical database Statistics Sweden's Statistical Database and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s statistical database www.jordbruksverket.se. Time series and harvest statistics are available from 1913 onwards for some of the crops.

The preliminary statistics being published now are based on information from a subsample of 1 104 farms. More accurate results based on the entire sample of 4 418 farms will be reported on 14 December in Statistical Report JO 19 SM 1802. The results will then also be published on county level and by the eight production areas of agriculture.

Information on autumn sown areas in 2018 will be published on 30 November in JO 18 SM 1801.