Portugal’s cereals harvest worst ever

Portugal’s autumn/winter cereals harvest has been the worst ever since records began according to the country’s national statistics institute INE.

“The cereals harvest for grain for October/Winter is, confirming it to be the worst harvest ever for all strains of grain cereals, resulting from productivity falls in areas under cultivation”, states the INE.
The main reason is because of the drought which affected 96.9% of mainland Portugal, 34.4% of which is suffering severe or extreme drought.
The knock-on effects are likely to see farmers cutting back on livestock for the simple reason that ensuring these get enough food and water will be logistically and financially fraught.
According the INE the “scarcity of green pasture for grazing has led to supplementing livestock feed with preserved foods.
This year beat last year’s record when Portugal’s Alentejo region suffered some of the driest months in almost a century with May 2022 recorded as the driest in 92 years.
Last year production falls were over 50% and in some areas close to zero. This year seems to be worse in some regions south of the River Tagus.