According to recent estimates by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) in Germany, the agricultural sector is planning to cultivate 5.86 million hectares of cereals in the crop year 2025. This represents an increase of 179,100 hectares or 3.2% compared to the previous year, according to the statisticians. However, the area remains at a low level, following a decline in the previous year due to weather-related difficulties in sowing winter wheat. Winter wheat covers nearly half (48%) of the cereal cultivation area and is the most significant cereal type in Germany. The sowing area for winter wheat is expected to increase by 12.2% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching almost the level of 2023.
The focus of cereal cultivation in Germany is on winter cereals. In 2025, winter cereals will be grown on 4.79 million hectares, which is 4.7% more than in 2024 and accounts for 81.8% of the total cereal cultivation area. Winter cereals include winter wheat, winter barley, rye, winter mixed cereals and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). Triticale shows a stagnant or decreasing trend, with a decrease in the sowing area for winter barley of 6.4% to 1.22 million hectares, a decrease of 1.1% to 529,200 hectares for rye and winter mixed cereals and an increase of 0.2% to 265,800 hectares for triticale.
In comparison to winter cereals, the cultivation of summer cereals in Germany is significantly lower, with an area of 1.06 million hectares (-3.3% compared to the previous year). The most significant cereal type here is corn for grain. According to the estimates for the 2025 harvest season, corn for grain will be grown on 484,500 hectares (-2.8%). The sowing area for summer barley is expected to decrease to 334,200 hectares, which is 26,400 hectares or 7.3% less than in the previous harvest year. The sowing area for summer wheat will be 61,800 hectares, a decrease of 22,800 hectares or 27.0% compared to the previous year. However, the sowing area for barley shows an increase compared to the previous year, with an expected sowing area of 183,300 hectares, representing a 17.6% increase compared to the previous harvest year.
For silage maize, the sowing area in the 2025 harvest season is estimated at 1.94 million hectares, which is a decrease of 110,200 hectares or 5.4% compared to the previous year. The sowing area for winter rapeseed is 1.1 million hectares, which is approximately the same as the previous year (+1.5%). For root crops, the sowing area for potatoes is expected to be 295,700 hectares (+4.8%) and for sugar beets, the sowing area is estimated at 408,500 hectares (-6.6%). For legumes, the sowing area for field beans for grain is expected to increase by 7.7% to 139,100 hectares in 2025 compared to the previous year and the sowing area for field peas is expected to increase by 21.2% to 74,600 hectares.