Favourable weather conditions are helping farmers in Lijevče Polje bring the grain harvest to a close. After the barley and rapeseed harvest was completed, combines moved into wheat and oat fields. The yields are encouraging, and agronomists are also forecasting good results.
Following the completion of the barley harvest on around 2,100 hectares and rapeseed on 300 hectares, combines have entered plots planted with wheat and oats. The harvest began around ten days earlier than usual. This year, wheat was sown on about 7,500 hectares and oats on around 1,200 hectares.
“Wheat has yielded well and we expect more than 500 kilograms per dunum, or five tonnes per hectare, and it seems to me that the crop is of very good quality,” said Zoran Šukalo, a farmer from Krajišnik.
Goran Šušnjar, a farmer from Karajzovci, shares a similar view.
“As for wheat yields, they are good for those who carried out the prescribed agrotechnical measures. In other words, where crop rotation was followed, weeds were controlled and water did not remain on the land, yields are between six and eight tonnes of wheat per hectare. As for oats, they are really good as well, with five to five and a half tonnes per hectare,” Šušnjar said.
Agronomists also confirm that this year’s harvest could be above average.
“In May and June we had enough rainfall, somewhere between 30 and 40 litres, so we can hope that grain yields this year will be higher than the average of the past few years,” said Nenad Erceg from the Agriculture Advisory Services Department of the Gradiška field office.
Favourable subsidies and guaranteed purchase prices have also increased interest in oilseed crops, which this year were sown on around 3,800 hectares. The rapeseed harvest has been completed, and producers are satisfied with both yield and quality.
“I think the quality will be good because we followed all the agrotechnical measures recommended by agronomists, so I expect good quality,” said Ilija Nikolić, a farmer from Cerovljani.
A good yield is also expected for corn, the most widely grown field crop in Lijevče Polje. Agronomists nevertheless warn that, because of high temperatures during a sensitive stage of development, irrigation needs to be carefully planned.
“In trials, yields were significantly higher when drip irrigation was used, because irrigation with typhoon sprinklers can damage pollen grains and lead to shedding. In any case, irrigation is a very important agrotechnical measure,” said Bojana Panić from the Agriculture Advisory Services Department of the Gradiška field office.
For now, most farmers are storing the harvested crop while waiting for the wheat purchase price to be set. They are also expecting the payment of subsidies for this year’s crop production soon.
Source: RTRS
