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May 14, 2002
Spring weather conditions have been generally favorable for wheat and barley production in the two major growing regions in Spain, Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha, situated on the "Meseta," or "table region" of Spain. This plateau is at an elevation of over 500 meters above sea level . Nearly two-thirds of the barley and soft wheat in Spain are grown on the Meseta, and the crops are susceptible to extreme weather in the winter and spring months. This year, the crops fared well through the winter, and spring weather has generally been better than last year's. In 2000, Spanish barley production was nearly 11.3 million tons, but last year it fell to less than 6.3 million, due to minimal precipitation and high temperatures during late spring. Click on a region below to view a link to comparisons of precipitation and average temperatures for Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha in 2001 and thus far in 2002. Click on the following link to see a Landsat7 image of the Duero Valley (50 km east of Valladolid) in Castilla y Leon, acquired on April 29, 2002.
Spain is the fifth largest producer of wheat in the European Union, accounting for around 6 percent of the 91.7 million tons of total wheat (soft and durum) produced in 2001. Spain is the the third largest producer of barley in the EU, accounting for nearly 13 percent of the 48.2 million tons produced in 2001. Spain is forecast to produce 6.8 million tons of total wheat and 9 million tons of barley in 2002.
