Czech agriculture is facing one of the toughest years in recent times. Poor cereal harvests, a decline in rapeseed production, and significant losses for vegetable growers could reduce this year's sector revenue by approximately 20 billion Czech crowns according to the Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic (Agrární komory ČR). The warning was issued at the opening of the 52nd International Agrofair "Mother Earth" (Země živitelka) in České Budějovice, where attention focused on the impacts of drought, climate change, and food security.
Jan Doležal, President of the Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic, warned at the fair's opening that this year's results for Czech farmers will be significantly affected by unfavorable weather. Problems in crop production are primarily manifested as lower yields and weaker harvests. According to him, total revenue losses could reach approximately 20 billion crowns.
This is not just a warning from professional organizations; current statistics confirm that this year's harvest indeed lags significantly behind last year.
According to the second estimate released by the Czech Statistical Office (Českého statistického úřadu) on August 7, approximately 6.39 million tons of basic cereals are expected to be harvested this year, which is 16.9 percent less than last year. The CSÚ labels it as the lowest cereal harvest in the past 14 years. Rapeseed production could drop by even 20.9 percent to approximately 808 thousand tons, making it the lowest yield in 21 years.
Vegetables are among the most affected sectors
The difficult situation also prevails in Czech vegetable farming. According to estimates from the Vegetable Growers Union of Bohemia and Moravia (Zelinářské unie Čech a Moravy), this year's vegetable production could drop by approximately 30 percent due to drought.
Problems have already appeared during spring. Professional organizations for growers warned about a combination of prolonged drought, spring frosts, and local torrential rains. Lack of moisture complicated the germination of onions and root vegetables, while frosts damaged some cabbage, celery, or early potato crops.
The development of Czech agriculture thus increasingly shows its dependence on water availability and the country's ability to cope with longer periods of drought.
State promises help in adapting to climate change
Martin Šebestyán, Minister of Agriculture, stated at the opening of "Mother Earth" that the state is prepared to assist farmers in dealing with the consequences of climate change. The topic of adapting Czech agriculture to new conditions indeed runs through this year's fair.
The Ministry of Agriculture states that this year's edition carries the motto "Innovation in every field" and aims not only to present new machinery and digitalization but also a more modern approach to soil, landscape, and water. The program includes precision farming, research, and new technologies designed to help farmers better manage water and other resources.
Premier Andrej Babiš thanked Czech farmers at the ceremonial opening and warned that the current situation, where consumers take it for granted that food stores are well-stocked, may not be guaranteed in the future. The debate on this year's harvest thus takes on a broader dimension—beyond the economics of individual businesses, it also concerns the long-term ability of the country to produce enough domestic food.
"Mother Earth" showcases agriculture's future
The International Agrofair Mother Earth (Země živitelka) takes place in České Budějovice from August 20th to 25th. This year's 52nd edition is one of the largest agricultural events in Central Europe and presents agricultural machinery, food processing, livestock farming, research, education, and smart agricultural technologies.
活动的意义也体现在去年的参观人数——2025 年有132,504 人穿过该区域，并展示了超过 600 家参展商。
今年的展会开幕之际正值捷克农业面临其当前最大挑战之一：如何在日益难以预测的天气条件下保持国内产品的竞争力。
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