Wheat production was up a third on last year, according to NFU estimates. The increase, to 17.6m tonnes, followed higher yields and a 13 per cent increase in the area of land planted with wheat, to 2.1m hectares.
The report dispelled some of farmers’ gloom over this year’s harvest and the impact of rising input prices, such as for fuel and fertiliser. Wet weather in August meant by mid-September less than half the harvest had been reaped in some areas. But good growing conditions earlier on helped farmers raise the yield.