German Barley Harvest Seen Interrupted by Rain by Farm Group BVA

The barley harvest in northwest Germany was interrupted by rain after starting earlier this month, agriculture lobby Bundesverband der Agrargewerblichen Wirtschaft e.V. reported.

Farmers in the region of Lower Saxony began cutting barley grown in sandy soils at the start of July, the BVA wrote in a report on its website today. The main German harvest will start once rains subside, the group said.

“Now farmers need several weeks of dry weather in order to bring in the grain harvest in security and without quality loss,” the BVA wrote.

Thunderstorms over the weekend caused “major damage” in Brandenburg and harvest work had to be interrupted because fields were no longer accessible, according to the BVA. Barley harvesting in eastern Germany started last week, and there are “large worries” about crop losses, the group said.

It’s unclear when flooded fields will be passable again, the BVA wrote. There’s a “great risk” of mold in wheat and rye, which are not ready for harvesting, and increased incidence of aphids and powdery mildew because of the weather, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net