Winter wheat areas were also unparalleled in size, which means that more than half of the country’s total cereal harvest consists of winter wheat this year. The total cereal harvest in Sweden is estimated at just over 6.1 million tonnes for 2019. This is nearly twice as much as a year ago, when drought and hot weather led to crop failure. Compared with the average five-year harvest, this year’s cereal harvest is 15 percent larger.

The yield per hectare of winter triticale is at an all-time high at both national level and in Västra Götaland County. The yield per hectare of rye and winter barley often verges on earlier record levels, both at the regional and national level. In Skåne County, the yield per hectare of winter barley was the highest ever recorded.

Mixed result for spring sown cereal crops

The spring sown cereal crops show a more varied result. The summer was far too dry in certain places this year as well. Crops affected by drought were primarily to be found in the southwest up to and including Uppsala County.

As the five-year average is affected by the low yields in the drought-ridden year 2018, it may be more pertinent to compare this year’s yields with standard yields, which Statistics Sweden calculates based on a longer time series and a trend factor.

In Kalmar County, the yield per hectare of spring barley is 63 percent higher than a year ago, but 12 percent lower than both the five-year average and the standard yield. In Skåne County, the yield per hectare is twice as large as a year ago, 19 percent larger than the five-year average and 11 percent higher than the standard yield.

Considerable rainfall resulted in non-harvested areas in Norrland

In northern Svealand and in Norrland, persistent autumn rains delayed the harvest, and parts of the areas remained unharvested. In the five most northern counties, between 3 and 10 percent of the cereal areas remained unharvested due to extreme rainfall, or early snowfall.

Yield per hectare of winter rape record high in Skåne

In the country as a whole, the yield per hectare of winter rape was 60 percent higher than a year ago, 14 percent higher than the five-year average and 6 percent higher than the standard yield. In Skåne County, the yield per hectare of winter rape was record high. In many other counties, this year’s yields were considerable higher than a year ago, but did not reach record levels.

Some of the winter rape areas were affected by winterkill, that is, they were damaged by autumn and winter conditions, and were replaced by spring sown crops. There have also been reports of winterkill damage, frost damage and sparse stocks as the cause of low yield levels of winter rape. The total harvest of rape and turnip rape is estimated at 381 900 tonnes. This is 75 percent more than a year ago and 23 percent more than the five-year average.

Yield per hectare of field peas and field beans higher than a year ago

This year’s yield per hectare of field peas is 50 percent higher than in 2018 and 4 percent higher than the five-year average. The highest yield level of field peas was in Östergötland County this year.

The total harvest of field peas is estimated at about 69 400 tonnes, which is 42 percent more than a year ago. The yield per hectare of field beans is more than twice as large as a year ago. The total harvest is estimated at 60 400 tonnes.

A more detailed report of this survey and the results for individual crops is published in Statistical Report JO19 SM 1902, available under Agriculture, forestry and fishing and on the Swedish Board of Agriculture website at www.jordbruksverket.se under Statistics.

Statistical databases

Time series with the final harvest statistics are available in Statistics Sweden’s statistical database Statistics Sweden's Statistical Database and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s statistical database www.jordbruksverket.se. Time series with harvest statistics are available from 1913 onwards for some of the crops.

Final results for 2019 will be reported in April 2020. These yield and production statistics are based on the data from all forms of cultivation that occur in the country. Yield and production statistics on organic and conventional cultivation will be reported in June 2020.