This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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First estimate of cereal harvest
02/10/2003
The Scottish Executive Environment and
Rural Affairs Department's preliminary estimate of the 2003
Scottish cereal harvest is 2.9 million tonnes.
This is an increase of 15 per cent on the
2002 harvest.
The rise in production is mainly
attributable to an increase in total barley production -
due to an improved yield.
The figures are based on area figures
from the provisional June 2003 census results and an
initial estimate of crop yields.
The production estimate will be finalised
with the publication of the 2003 Cereal Production survey
early next year.
The production estimates for
individual cereals are given below with last year's final
figures:-
Thousand Tonnes
2003
2002
Wheat
737
739
Barley (winter)
428
410
Barley (spring)
1614
1278
Total Barley
2042
1689
Oats and
Other cereals
140
111
TOTAL CEREALS
2920
2539
Oilseed Rape
130
104
Wheat yields (tonnes per hectare) are
provisionally estimated to be 11 per cent up on last year's
cereal production survey results but the area sown is down
by almost 10 per cent.
Barley yields are 23 per cent higher with
the cropped area down marginally.
Oat yields increased by almost 26 per cent
and the area grown rose slightly.
Oilseed rape yields increased by almost 8
per cent and the area grown increased by approximately 16
per cent compared with 2002.