Přerov farmers start harvest amid drought, expect lower yields

Farmers in the Přerov region of the Czech Republic began the 2024 harvest, working on winter poppy, winter wheat, barley and rapeseed. Agronomists Antonín Koutný of Agro‑společnost Morava and Tomáš Jakubec of Zemědělská společnost Pobečví reported the progress and acreage involved.

They anticipate a weaker harvest than the previous year. Contributing factors include a wet autumn during sowing, an unusually dry spring, pest outbreaks and an extreme June heat wave that set a new national temperature record of 41.9 °C. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute identified March and April as the driest period since records began in 1961, and June rains have not fully compensated the deficit.

The Ministry of Agriculture warned that the rainfall deficit could lead to significant regional differences in crop yields across the country, reflecting a broader national drought affecting agricultural output.