September 12, 2000

Eastern Europe's 2000 Corn Crop Suffers

as Moisture Levels are Depleted

FAS/ Washington estimates the 2000/01 corn crop in eastern Europe at 19.7 million tons from 6.5 million hectares. Estimated production dropped 17 percent from last month and 36 percent from last season. Harvested area is down 2 percent from last month and 8 percent from last season.

The Balkans have been in a persistent moisture deficit since late winter and the winter dryness worsened into a drought by late spring. Widespread drought and record high temperatures covered almost the entire area of eastern Europe by June. The drought lasted until July in the north (Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) and through August further south. While fall planted crops managed to survive fairly well under the unfavorable weather conditions, spring planted crops did not. The vast majority of the corn grown in eastern Europe is in the Balkan countries of Romania, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia, where the most severe weather occurred. Although temperatures across eastern Europe moderated in July, the drought continued in the south and the heat returned to the Balkans in August. The withering corn crop developed ahead of schedule due to the excessive heat. Harvesting should now be underway in the southern regions.

The following maps compare soil moisture levels during the 2000 growing season with the 1999 season. The lack of moisture on May 15, 2000 in Romania and Bulgaria is seen to spread north into Hungary, Czech, Slovakia and Poland by July 7th. The drought is most pronounced in the July scene because a very dry May and June had depleted moisture reserves across most of eastern Europe. Although July rain brought relief to the northern areas, the drought continued in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslavia until late August. The August 7, 2000 map shows how the drought further intensified in the Balkan region during July, while the northern regions show an increase in soil moisture after a cooler and wetter period.

A team of FAS staff traveled through Romania and Bulgaria during the middle of August to assess the drought damage. Please see the following pictures taken during the trip.

Picture 1 Cornfield in southeastern Romania. The corn has been stunted by drought and a serious weed problem exists as well. The hill in the background would normally be used for grazing, however the soil is too dry this year to support grass. The Danube River flows north, just beyond the hill.

Picture 2 Cornfield south of Budapest showing stress; the corn is grown on very rich black soil, but severe dryness has stunted the crop. Note that the fallow field to the right of the corn is too dry for even weeds to take hold.

Picture 3 Stunted plants in southeastern Romania attempting to produce an ear of corn while competing for scant mositure with weeds. During the season, capital was in short supply so many farmers forwent or greatly reduced the amount of herbicides applied to their fields. The corn in this field averaged between three and four feet tall; there is simply not enough biomass to complete filling; the crop is nearly a total loss.

Picture 4 Corn grown in southern Romania. This field was planted too late and was ruined by drought. This particular crop is lost, but an adjacent cornfield was observed to be the best spotted during the trip. Early-planted corn was able to escape the full impact of the drought. Most farmers, however, lacked cash to purchase seeds, fuel, and other inputs for timely planting. As a result, the planting of many fields was delayed and yield suffered.

Picture 5 Corn ear produced in southeastern Romania (Dobruja region). Obvious pollination problems occurred due to the extreme heat during the reproductive period.

Picture 6 Bulgarian cornfield. Similarly to Romania, unfavorable weather conditions also occurred in Bulgaria, bringing down their corn harvest as well. Bulgaria, however, produces only a fraction of the corn that is grown in Romania. This field in northwestern Bulgaria had few ears because of poor pollination.

Current weather in Eastern Europe

For more information, contact Bryan Purcell with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division on (202) 690-0138. email: purcellb@fas.usda.gov