The farmers were satisfied in the summer, they increased the estimate of yield of autumn crops in September

The third adjusted estimate of yield confirmed a significant year-on-year increase in the total production of grain maize, potatoes and sugar beets. After last year's low values, yields per hectare also increased for sunflowers, all autumn crops exceeded the 5-year average.

According to a new estimate, the total production of the second most cultivated crop in Slovakia, grain maize, should reach almost 1.07 million tons. Year-on-year, the harvest will increase by 56%, even despite a significant, one-fifth, decrease in the area sown. Farmers have thus slightly increased the predictions of the expected yield of this commodity. The Statistical Office of the SR conducted the third estimate of yield as of 15 September 2023.

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Expected yields of 7.57 tons of grain maize per hectare are higher about 3 tons than last year and also slightly higher than the average yields for the previous 5 years. Although the total production of grain maize is significantly better in year-on-year comparison, it is far from reaching the level of the record years of 2018, 2020, or 2021, when more than 1.5 million tons of grain maize were produced in Slovakia.

A year-on-year higher volume of yield is also expected for grain maize and its mixtures for green and silage. From an area compared with last year, the producers expect a total yield of more than 1.8 million. tons, which is higher by 16% than last year. The yield per hectare of 31.8 tons should exceed last year's values by more than 42% (by 9.4 tons) and at the same time the 5-year average by almost 3 tons.

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Farmers also adjusted the total yield estimates of other potatoes (excluding early potatoes) slightly upwards. Their production this year in the total volume of 122 thousand tons should approximately be higher by one quarter than last year (by 28.6 thousand tons). The expected average yield of 27.8 tons per hectare should be 26% above the last year's average (22.1 t/ha) and at the same time by 19% above the last 5-year average of yield. The area sown decreased by 4.3% year-on-year to 4.4 thousand ha.

According to the third estimate, the sunflower yield should be a little lower than expected in August. The total volume of production slightly exceeding 169 thousand tons, however, should reach approximately the last year´s level, despite the significant year-on-year decrease in the area sown, by almost 18%. Expected yields at the level of 2.82 tons per hectare are almost by a half ton higher than last year and at the same time by almost 8% higher than the average of the last 5 years.

As a result of the year-on-year increase in the area sown by 14% and, at the same time, the higher yield per hectare, the year-on-year increase in the total harvest of technical sugar beet is expected by almost 21% to the level of 1.3 million tons. Compared to the estimate carried out on August 15, the expected yield per hectare increased by almost 1 ton per hectare - to 60.6 t/ha, which is higher by 4 t/ha of the area sown compared to last year (56.3 t/ha). This year, the yield per hectare should exceed the 5-year average of yield by more than a ton (59.4 t/ha).