Germany grain harvest seen down 7%, farmers say

Germany's grain harvest is expected to fall 7% this year to 41.9 million tonnes after months of severe drought and heatwaves, the German Farmers' Association said Tuesday.

Association president Joachim Rukwied said a dry spring and a heatwave in the second half of June were defining factors behind the below-average forecast. He said the expected harvest was also 1.5% below the five-year average of 42.5 million tonnes.

Rukwied described “enormous regional differences”, with southern and western Germany especially hit by a lack of rain during the heat. He said some farmers had reported low yields or total crop failure, and that in areas with severe drought damage it was too late in the growing season for better weather to help.

The association said the poor harvest came as farms also faced higher costs for diesel, fertilisers and pesticides. It linked those costs to global shortages of oil and other raw materials after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war.

Rukwied urged the German government to launch emergency support for farmers, including early farm subsidy payments, more state aid for fertiliser purchases and cuts to diesel fuel taxes.

The association said winter rapeseed was hit hardest, with yield down 20%, while winter barley yields were down 4%.

Germany's Federal Statistical Office also forecast damage to the apple harvest. It said the apple crop was expected to fall 17.9% from last year's exceptionally large harvest and 5.4% below the average of the past decade, citing recurring heatwaves and persistent dry weather in spring and summer 2026.

The German Raiffeisen Association of agricultural co-operatives had earlier warned that drought and extreme summer heat could create a shortfall of up to three million tonnes and losses of about 600 million euros. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported this week that Western Europe had its hottest June-July on record.