“A record 1.893 million tons of sunflower seed and 882 thousand tons of rapeseed were harvested in Hungary last year, in addition to which the production average for maize also broke all previous records, exceeding 8.6 tons per hectare (with a total yield of 8.8 million tons)”, the latest report from the Central Statistical Office states.

1.9 million tons of sunflower seeds were harvested from 642 thousand hectares, an increase of 22 percent from 2015 (and a 4.9 percent increase in production are compared to 2015). The average yield increased to 2950 kilograms per hectare, an improvement of 16 percent in comparison to the previous year.

Maize was harvested on 1023 thousand hectares in Hungary in 2016, which represents an 11 percent decrease in production area, but with an outstanding average yield of 8610 kilograms per hectare leading to a 49 percent increase in production compared to 2015, which was also facilitated by favourable weather conditions.

Wheat was cultivated on a 1.1 percent larger production area compared to 2015 (1040 thousand hectares), with a total yield of 5.592 million tons at an average yield of 5380 kilograms per hectare.

Rapeseed was sown on a 16 percent larger production area compared to the previous year and produced a harvest of 882 thousand tons, and increase of almost 50 percent, and accordingly the average yield increased by 28.4 percent to 3440 kilograms per hectare, the KSH report states.

Sugar beet provided a harvest of 1.1 million tons, an increase of 18 percent compared to the precious year, while the production area used for sugar beet production increased by 2.8 percent to 16 thousand hectares. The average yield increased by 15 percent compared to 2015 to 67.5 tons per hectare.

The average yield of alfalfa production increased by 14 percent to 5040 kilograms per hectare.

With the exception of potatoes, the production area and yield of which fell by 13 percent (to 16 thousand hectares) and by 11 percent (to 403 thousand tons), respectively, it may be stated with regard to the yields of the Hungarian autumn-harvested crops studied that they were clearly much higher in 2016 compared to the previous year”, the report states.

(Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)