Another increase in EU legume crop

In 2021, EU-27 legume production has grown the third year running. According to the EU Commission’s estimate, the total harvest amounted to just less than 6.8 million tonnes. This was up 10 per cent year-on-year, but remained short of the 7 million tonne record harvest of 2017. Of the legume crops listed, sweet lupins saw a particularly big increase in output compared to the previous year. The 2021 harvest was approximately 347,000 tonnes, which translates to a 71 per cent rise on the previous year which saw a sharp decline in sweet lupin area. Consequently, the current harvest is 49 per cent larger than the long-term average. According to Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), the increase is exclusively due to the expansion in area, because yields were lower than a year earlier. The 2021 field bean harvest amounted to 1.3 million tonnes, which was up 2 per cent on 2020. Again, the increase is based entirely on the larger field bean area since yields remained below the previous year’s level. Compared to the past five years, an increase of 11 can be identified.

The most important legume crop in the EU-27 is soybean, which accounts for a slightly lower share of around 43 per cent of grain legume production. Farmers harvested around 2.8 million tonnes in 2021, approximately 8 per cent more than the previous year. This is mainly due to a 7 per cent growth in yield, since the soybean area was only marginally expanded. The second most important legume crop in the EU-27 is feed pea. At 2.3 million tonnes, production surged 13 per cent from 2020. The main reason is a 9 per cent expansion in area planted. Yields were up 3 per cent year-on-year. In the long-term comparison, production of feed peas was up 7 percent and that of soybeans 5 per cent.

The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) has said that this development in production confirms the basic upward trend in grain legume production and farmers‘ interest in opening up new markets and making crop rotation systems more resilient and less risky in view of climate change. Addressing the new German government, the UFOP has underlined its call to make the necessary accompanying steps sufficiently attractive. According to the association, the toolbox is basically in place and all that is needed is a forward-looking bold approach. The UFOP has renewed its call for an adequate premium scheme to promote the production of grain legumes as part of the "Diverse Crop Rotation" ECO scheme that is currently being discussed, as well as demanding adequate funding of the protein crop development strategy. Both issues are important "guidelines" for a future arable farming strategy that deserves the name and is also appreciated by consumers.

The UFOP has drawn attention to its studies on the expansion of crop rotation systems and the specific and monetarily quantifiable contribution grain legumes make towards climate protection. These studies were presented at the “UFOP Perspektivforum” event on 23 September 2021. At a UFOP conference that is to be held on 2 November 2021, the value of the protein components of rapeseed and grain legumes for a healthy, varied and climate-friendly diet and the added-value potential that could be utilised at a regional level will be presented and discussed. For the conference programme, please see the UFOP website: www.UFOP.de/ft1121.

With this information, the UFOP has underlined its claim to be a competent contact partner for the coming legislative period.