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Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Scanpix / TT
Spring Mill 2020 has started earlier than usual. Stock Photography.
The demand for malt for brewing has decreased during the crown pandemic, which affects Swedish farmers who are now in the midst of spring farming.
Swedish cereal growers are already in full swing preparing the fields for spring planting.
– It is an early year and that spring farming is taking place simultaneously in Skåne and Dalarna is quite unique. In Skåne, it’s not much earlier than normal, but the further north you go, the earlier it is, says Johannes Åkerblom, plant cultivation manager at Lantmännen.
Switches
Thanks to a large fall planting, spring agriculture is relatively small this year. Typically, about two-thirds of spring seeds generally consist of barley, both for food and for beer production. A third consists of oatmeal. This year, farmers are adapting to adapt to the changing demand created by the crown pandemic.
– Malt barley is very difficult to sell when there are no major events and restaurants have fewer visitors. Beer consumption is declining while demand for oats is increasing dramatically, says Johannes Åkerblom.
Otherwise, cereal producers are not significantly affected by the pandemic that is affecting other industries, says Johannes Åkerblom. Other parts of food production, such as growing vegetables and berries, are more affected because they depend on foreign labor.
– I don’t think the concern that the crown affects production is particularly great among cereal producers, but they struggle and make their spring crop. Everything in society does not stop, it is the summarized message, says Johannes Åkerblom.
The weather is controlling
According to Lantmännen, there are conditions for a full-size harvest in 2020, but ultimately it is the climate that determines. The summer of 2018 was very dry and the lost harvests greatly affected many grain producers.
– Some companies were hit harder and have not yet recovered, says Johannes Åkerblom.
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