Cereal and oilseed rape harvest - first estimates: 2023

Initial estimates of area, yield and production for winter and spring barley, wheat, oats and oilseed rape, for the 2023 harvest.


Barley production average, but reports of mixed quality

Spring barley

In 2023 spring barley yield is predicted to be 6.3 tonnes per hectare. Spring barley production is predicted to be 1.5 million tonnes.

Spring barley area is predicted to increase by 2%, but yields are predicted to decrease by 7%, leading to a predicted 6% decrease in production. Nevertheless, spring barley production remains at around the ten-year average level. However, industry experts report that quality is mixed.

Winter barley

In 2023 winter barley yield is predicted to be 7.9 tonnes per hectare. Winter barley production is predicted to be around 350 thousand tonnes.

Winter barley yields are predicted to decrease by 4% from last year’s record high of 8.2 tonnes per hectare. Together with a predicted slight increase in sown area, a 3% decrease in production is predicted compared to 2022.

Figure 2: Spring barley and winter barley production and average production from 2014 to 2023

A line chart showing spring barley and winter barley production and average production from 2014 to 2023

Contact

Email: agric.stats@gov.scot

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