Winter crops in Poland overwintered slightly worse in 2026 than a year earlier, according to a preliminary assessment by Statistics Poland. The main causes of crop damage were sharp drops in ground-level temperatures in January and February, locally reaching -25°C and below, drying winds and insufficient snow cover.
According to GUS, the area sown with winter cereals in autumn 2025 for the 2026 harvest amounted to around 4.5 million hectares, about 1.1% more than a year earlier. Winter wheat accounted for the largest share, with more than 2.3 million hectares sown. Winter triticale covered around 1.1 million hectares, rye more than 0.6 million hectares, winter barley more than 0.4 million hectares, and winter cereal mixtures around 0.05 million hectares. The area sown with winter rapeseed and turnip rape was estimated at around 1.1 million hectares.
Most winter crops were sown within the optimal agrotechnical period. This applied to more than 85% of winter wheat acreage, more than 96% of rye, around 94% of winter barley, more than 93% of winter triticale and more than 91% of winter rapeseed and turnip rape. In November, the condition of winter cereal crops was assessed as similar to the previous year. Winter rapeseed and turnip rape performed slightly worse, receiving an average score of 3.8, compared with 4.0 a year earlier.
The winter of 2025/2026 brought more difficult conditions for plants than the previous season. In December, the weather generally did not pose a serious threat to wintering crops. However, in January and in the first two ten-day periods of February, very low ground-level temperatures were recorded. In many regions, the lack of adequate snow cover limited the natural protection of plants against frost.
The largest winter losses caused by frost were recorded in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Łódzkie, Małopolskie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships. Drying winds had a particularly negative impact on crops in Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Łódzkie, Podlaskie, Wielkopolskie and Zachodniopomorskie.
According to GUS experts, around 0.2% of the area under winter cereals and around 0.6% of the area under winter rapeseed and turnip rape were qualified for ploughing. This corresponds to approximately 8,400 hectares of winter cereals and around 7,000 hectares of winter rapeseed and turnip rape.
In the samples examined, the share of live plants and germinating seeds exceeded 95% for winter wheat, exceeded 96% for rye, stood at around 96% for winter barley, around 94% for winter triticale and around 88% for winter rapeseed and turnip rape. The highest proportion of plants of uncertain condition was found in winter rapeseed and turnip rape plantations.
GUS also pointed to the growing problem of insufficient rainfall. March was notably dry, with the average national precipitation total at 10.8 mm, or 28.6% of the norm. In many parts of the country, significant drying of the upper soil layer was observed. Cold days and night frosts in the first half of April additionally slowed the emergence of spring cereals and limited their early growth.
In fruit farming, the winter did not cause significant losses, although there was an increased risk of frost damage to apricots, sweet cherries, peaches and some plum varieties. The overwintering of fruit trees and shrubs was most often assessed as good or satisfactory. Strawberry plantations and other berry crops generally overwintered well, although their condition varied by region.
The final assessment of winter and spring losses, as well as the condition of agricultural and horticultural crops, will be carried out in the second half of May. Only then will it be possible to more fully assess the impact of winter conditions, spring frosts and rainfall shortages on this year’s harvest potential.
