Lowest wheat harvest in 25 years

© ANP / Venema Media
In 2024, the gross crop yield for wheat fell by 38.6 percent from 2023 to 682 thousand tonnes, the lowest in 25 years. The gross yield for ware potatoes also fell by 1.5 percent. On the other hand, gross yields for seed onions (+13.2 percent) and barley (+3.8 percent) were higher. This is according to figures from the definitive arable crop yield estimates published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Gross yield
JaartalWare potatoes (million tonnes)Seed onions (million tonnes)Wheat (million tonnes)Barley (million tonnes)
20004.470.821.160.29
20013.590.771.000.39
20023.950.821.070.32
20033.240.811.140.35
20043.801.221.240.29
20053.210.981.190.31
20063.080.851.200.27
20073.601.071.030.26
20083.631.231.380.31
20093.651.221.420.31
20103.551.251.380.21
20113.861.581.190.21
20123.381.331.320.21
20133.481.201.350.21
20143.871.221.320.20
20153.331.371.320.23
20163.161.271.030.24
20173.951.451.070.21
20183.130.891.000.26
20193.721.371.170.25
20203.681.310.970.26
20213.291.470.980.20
20223.581.211.200.29
20233.361.321.110.23
2024*3.311.490.680.24
* privisional figures

The gross yield for wheat has not been this low since 2000. This was mainly due to setbacks in winter wheat crops as a result of the wet autumn of 2023. Winter wheat is planted in the autumn. In 2024, only 574 tonnes of winter wheat were harvested, 45.9 percent less than in 2023. Both the arable crop area (surface area) and yield per hectare declined in 2024.

However, the gross yield for summer wheat more than doubled to 108 thousand tonnes, mainly due to an increase in cropping intensity. In years when winter wheat acreage is smaller, the acreage for summer wheat is likely to increase, but does not compensate for the smaller acreage of winter wheat. Wheat yield reductions were seen in all regions, but the decline was sharpest in the southern Netherlands.

Cultivated area for cereals
JaartalWheat, winter (1,000 ha)Wheat, summer (1,000 ha)Barley, winter (1,000 ha)Barley, zomer (1,000 ha)
2000120.5116.183.6443.54
200195.7928.933.2463.53
2002113.1922.662.6654.28
2003105.8824.073.1051.92
2004117.2220.863.2144.78
2005116.0420.672.9747.62
2006121.5019.623.4941.09
2007124.4316.894.2641.73
2008140.6215.894.6745.57
2009128.8922.094.8839.60
2010135.0119.014.6728.72
2011113.1538.374.0730.04
2012136.3915.244.2125.63
2013124.7727.984.4525.17
2014122.2919.925.5622.06
2015127.4715.007.6525.17
2016117.0111.059.8224.98
2017108.028.419.3020.91
201896.2715.778.2427.91
2019112.208.8611.1322.57
202092.8416.789.7228.97
2021106.7812.609.7720.31
2022108.3216.0310.5526.31
2023121.338.7315.0720.59
2024*80.1517.3913.5225.65
* provisional figures

Barley yield higher

The only growth in total gross cereal yield was seen in barley, which amounted to 242 thousand tonnes (up by 3.8 percent). In 2024, this was 242 thousand tonnes (up by 3.8 percent). Just as with wheat, more spring barley and less winter barley was harvested. The gross yield for spring barley increased by half to 151 thousand tonnes, while that of winter barley was down by a third to 91 thousand tonnes.

Other cereal yields such as rye, oats and triticale fell in 2024.

Largest increase in gross seed onion yield in the Northern Netherlands

Despite the wet spring and challenging sowing conditions, gross seed onion yield increased to 1.5 million tonnes in 2024. This was mainly due to an increase in the arable crop area (up by 11.7 percent). The seeding onion yield per hectare was slightly higher than in 2023, at nearly 46.7 tonnes.

The northern Netherlands saw the largest increase in crop yields last year, with gross yields up by 25 percent. The arable crop area in this region increased by 30.2 percent, but the yield per hectare fell slightly.

Gross seed onion yield fell only in the southern part of the Netherlands
Although the seed onion acreage increased in the southern Netherlands, the gross yield and hectare yield declined. The latter fell by nearly 14 percent to 40.2 tonnes per hectare, the lowest hectare yield of the four agricultural regions. The wet spring and cold weather conditions caused cultivation problems on the sandy soils of this region. Weather conditions also allowed for late sowing, resulting in reduced hectare yields.

Decline in ware potato yield per hectare

The yield per hectare for ware potatoes was 43.3 tonnes in 2024, 5.5 percent lower than one year previously. Potato growers faced a wet spring, which meant several potato plots could not be planted before June. Moreover, it remained wet during the summer, slowing down potato growth.

The total cultivated area was up by 3.5 percent, but the total gross yield for ware potatoes fell slightly, around 3.3 million tonnes of ware potatoes were harvested.

Increase in fibre crop yields

Fibre crop yields increased again in 2024, the same as in 2023. Flax and hemp had only a small share in the total gross yield of arable crops. Nevertheless, they reached the largest increase in production (up by 88.2 percent) of any arable crop last year.

Demand for hemp arises from foreign markets for automotive products and insulation materials derived from animal and plant materials, also called biobased materials. The majority of Dutch flax is sold to the textile market. Demand for linen fibre, which is made from flax, among other materials, has been rising for several years and a poor crop yield in 2023 pushed flax prices to historic highs. This led to an increase in the arable crop area last year.

Flax and hemp saw increases in both acreage and hectare yields. The gross fibre crops yield nearly tripled compared to 2010.

Gross fibre crop yield
JaartalHemp (1,000 tonnes)Flax (1,000 tonnes)
20106.4010.52
20116.137.95
201210.1913.29
201310.2711.24
201413.0710.31
201514.6014.19
201617.4213.76
20179.5410.22
201815.328.78
201914.0713.36
202012.797.35
202113.2811.33
202214.1410.11
202313.6410.16
2024*25.1119.67
* provisional figures

Provisional and definitive crop yield estimates

Every year in October, CBS publishes the provisional crop yield estimate (including gross yield and hectare yield), based on expert estimates of the expected crop yield per hectare. The total gross crop yield may end up being higher or lower. Due to weather conditions for instance, it is possible that part of the cultivated area is not harvested or that the final yields per hectare are higher or lower.

The definitive crop estimate (gross yield and yield per hectare) for the same crop year is then published in January and is based on a survey in which nearly 5 thousand growers participate. Based on the survey, the definitive yield per hectare is determined as well as the crop yield ratio, i.e. the actual figures compared to the estimated crop yield.

The differences between the final and provisional crop estimates are published in a separate StatLine table alongside the StatLine table on arable crop production by region.

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