According to Audrius Vanagas, an average harvest is expected, and farmers are rushing to harvest barley, which is mainly intended for animal feed, before new rains that could break the barley ears.
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“The first days of harvesting winter barley are already beginning. Compared to last year… well, an ordinary year’s harvest, not exceptional, the usual winter barley harvest for us,” he told BNS.
“This year we are observing that practically these days harvesting has started in all districts. Usually, the southern districts start harvesting first,” added A. Vanagas.
According to him, in winter the snowdrifts protected the crops, then the water from the melted snow soaked into the ground, and the effects of spring droughts were corrected by later rains.
“In winter, the crops lay quite safely under a thick layer of snow during the severe frosts. Then the water was drained very orderly. Of course, in those districts where there was a lot of snow, for example in Plungė, there were more damages after winter. But mostly due to freezing under the snow,” said the grain growers’ representative.
“The spring was drier in most districts, so that drought was especially felt by winter barley because their vegetation starts quickly, the earliest. So it had some impact. But subsequent rains saved the situation – they improved it in many districts. Of course, there are places in some districts where it is a bit worse. These are normal average years. Speaking about the overall picture in Lithuania, the situation is not so catastrophic,” stated A. Vanagas.
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According to him, the winter barley harvest is being rushed because renewed rains could cause damage.
“When winter barley reaches maturity and a rainy period sets in, the ears can break off and fall. Farmers know that they cannot wait long with winter barley,” said the head of the Lithuanian Grain Growers Association.
According to A. Vanagas, the area of winter barley has decreased: “Last year less was sown because due to unfavorable weather conditions it was not possible to sow in time. And because it was wet, some have not yet been harvested.”
Winter barley is one of the crops that is harvested earliest.
According to the Agricultural Data Center, winter barley is grown by 104 companies declaring 8 thousand hectares, and 3.4 thousand farmers – they grow this crop on almost 33.56 thousand hectares.
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