Average harvest could exceed last year’s

The average harvest in Slovakia this year should be better than last year's, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matečná (Slovak National Party/SNS) stated on Tuesday while attending a wheat harvest in Hlohovec (Trnava region). Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK) chair Emil Macho, who was also present, added that the optimistic outlook stemming from the cold weather in May was spoilt by a drought-filled June, and so it's now difficult to estimate the total harvest yield. Matečná added that Slovak farmers will have to prepare for climate change. According to her, water needs to be better managed on fields, and smaller fields preferred to large ones, as large fields lack the water-absorbing properties of their smaller counterparts. She also thinks that there's a lack of organic mass in the soil, which is closely linked to the lack of cattle. In addition, she noted that there isn't enough calcium in the soil.