Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.
Lantmännen forecasts that the annual harvest will amount to 6.1 million tons in total. The coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown how important Swedish agriculture and a functioning food chain are for Sweden’s ability to be self-sufficient, and the Swedish harvest is the basis for this.
Lantmännen’s forecast for the annual harvest of grain, oilseed crops and pulses amount to 6.1 million tons, which is lower than last year’s bumper harvest but slightly above the five-year average.
“We are expecting a good harvest in Sweden this year, in terms of both volume and quality, although there will be regional differences. We have a big responsibility to handle the harvest in the best ways. Lantmännen has plenty of capacity to receive, dry and store grain and is well-prepared to take charge of this year’s harvest in a safe and secure way, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,” says Mikael Jeppsson, Head of the Grain Unit at Lantmännen.
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"We are expecting a good harvest in Sweden this year, in terms of both volume and quality, although there will be regional differences. Lantmännen has plenty of capacity to receive, dry and store grain and is well-prepared to take charge of this year’s harvest in a safe and secure way, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic."
Sweden needs to increase its food production
When people in Sweden started to stockpile food in association with the spread of the coronavirus, the issue of how long and how well Sweden could manage its food supply during an extended crisis was raised. The coronavirus pandemic has quite clearly brought to a head the question of how important Swedish agriculture and a functioning food chain are. Sweden’s access to food and capacity to be self-sufficient are too a large extent based on the Swedish harvest.
“Ensuring a good food supply is of the utmost importance, especially in times of crisis. As such, this year’s harvest is more significant than ever and we as a business, and our members – Swedish farmers – have an important social responsibility. Together, we take responsibility from field to fork and to secure the entire food value chain, from farms to store shelves and consumers,” says Per Lindahl, Chairman of the Lantmännen Board.
In the spring, the Swedish government classed the food sector as an essential business for society, and food production is a core sector in the Swedish economy.
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"Ensuring a good food supply is of the utmost importance, especially in times of crisis. As such, this year’s harvest is more significant than ever and we as a business, and our members – Swedish farmers – have an important social responsibility."
The 2018 drought, when Sweden went from being a net exporter of grain to net importer, was followed by a very good annual harvest in 2019, and Sweden could once again export grain to a large extent. The prospects for grain exports look good this year as well.
“Exports are a big part of Lantmännen’s business and a good harvest 2020 means that we will continue to be able to export grain to Europe, North America and North Africa,” says Jeppsson.
Read the full press release "Lantmännen´s Harvest Forecast 2020"
How Lantmännen calculates its harvest forecast
The harvest forecast is based on a yield assessment, using weather data, rainfall, temperatures and areas sown for each county, that farmers in Sweden submit to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Historic data, such as yields for similar years, are also factored in. The forecast is then reconciled by Lantmännen salespersons in each respective county and updated with any new facts before publication.
Making an assessment of the forecast in advance is difficult, which is why it is important to remember that the harvest forecast is just that, a forecast. We will only know for sure what this year’s harvest will look like once the farmers have brought in their crops and the results have been compiled.
