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Compared with 2022;
Production of the three main cereals (Wheat, Barley and Oats) decreased by 531,300 tonnes to 2,015,700 tonnes in 2023 (-20.9%).
Wheat, Barley and Oats yield dropped by 1.4 tonnes per hectare (-12.8%), 1.3 tonnes per hectare (-16.1%) and 1.5 tonnes per hectare (-17.9%) respectively.
Production of Wheat fell by 199,200 tonnes (-27.7%), Barley by 282,200 tonnes (-17.8%) and Oats by 49,900 tonnes (-20.6%).
Beans and Peas production rose from 65,700 tonnes to 81,300 tonnes in 2023 (+23.8%).
Oilseed Rape production was up by 19,500 tonnes to 97,300 tonnes in 2023 (+25.1%)
Potato yield decreased from 43.4 tonnes per hectare to 39.2 tonnes per hectare in 2023 (-9.5%). Production of Potatoes was down by 45,800 tonnes (-12.4%) to 322,200 tonnes in 2023.
The figures for 2023 show that the area under Cereals dropped by 16,300 hectares (ha) (-5.7%) to 269,400 ha when compared with 2022, with the largest decrease observed for Winter Barley down by 20,800 ha (-28.2%). The area under Cereals decreased in 2023 despite an increase of 16,900 ha for Spring Barley (+14.5%) and an increase of 4,200 ha for Spring Oats (+32.1%). The area under Potatoes fell by 300 ha (-3.3%) to 8,200 ha in comparison with 2022. The area under Beans and Peas rose by 5,400 ha to 16,200 ha (+50.0%) in 2023. Oilseed Rape area was also up from 15,800 ha in 2022 to 21,600 ha in 2023 (+36.9%).
There was a decrease in yield across all referenced crops in 2023 with the exception of Winter Barley which remained the same at 8.7 tonnes per hectare. Cereal yield fell by 1.4 tonnes per hectare to 7.5 tonnes per hectare (-16.1%) with Spring Barley showing the greatest drop in yield from 8.1 tonnes per hectare to 6.3 tonnes per hectare (-22.2%).
There was a decrease in production across the three main cereals in 2023 with the exception of Spring Oats which rose by 10,200 tonnes to 112,500 tonnes (+9.9%). The greatest drop in production was seen for Winter Barley which fell by 180,900 tonnes to 458,900 tonnes when compared with 2022 (-28.3%). The rise in Beans and Peas production of 15,600 tonnes (+23.8%) and Oilseed Rape production of 19,500 tonnes (+25.1%) was due to an increase in area sown in 2023. Potato production was down from 368,000 tonnes in 2022 to 322,200 tonnes in 2023 (-12.4%).
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (25 April 2024) released the Area, Yield and Production of Crops 2023.
Commenting on the release Sophie Emerson, Statistician in Agriculture Surveys, said: "Overall, there was a decrease in the production of Cereals in 2023 compared to 2022. The combined decrease in production across Wheat, Oats and Barley was 531,300 tonnes (-20.9%). Production of Wheat, Oats and Barley decreased by 199,200 tonnes (-27.7%), 49,900 tonnes (-20.6%) and 282,200 tonnes (-17.8%) respectively.
The production of Beans and Peas rose from 65,700 tonnes to 81,300 tonnes in 2023 (+23.8%) driven by an increase in the area sown of 5,400 hectares (+50.0%) and despite a reduction in the yield from 6.1 tonnes per hectare to 5 tonnes per hectare (-17.5%).
The production of Potatoes dropped from 368,000 tonnes in 2022 to 322,200 tonnes in 2023 (-12.4%), based on a 3.3% reduction in the area sown and a 9.5% fall in the yield per hectare."