Low water on German rivers disrupts Bavaria's grain logistics after harvest
Low water on the Main, Danube and Rhine is disrupting Bavaria's grain logistics after the harvest. BayWa and the BBV report rising transport costs and a shift to on-site storage and rail freight.
Low water disrupts grain logistics
Inland vessels on the Main, Danube and Rhine can carry significantly less cargo than under normal conditions, raising transport costs and tightening capacity. BayWa has organised full freight trains to supply customers on the Lower Rhine and in the Benelux states, but says alternatives can only partially compensate for missing ship transport. The BBV says ship transport of bread and fodder grain is becoming unprofitable, and farmers with storage capacity are keeping grain directly at the farm. Bayernhafen, whose ports include Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg and Passau, says its storage capacity is important in the current situation.
BayWa responds with storage and rail
BayWa says it is increasingly storing grain at its own sites and using existing storage capacity to ensure harvest intake. The company has organised full freight trains for the current harvest window to supply customers on the Lower Rhine and in the Benelux states and to partially relieve the waterways. A BayWa spokesperson said that inland vessels can currently carry significantly less cargo than under normal conditions, that transport costs are rising and that available capacity is becoming scarcer.
Farmers bear higher costs
A spokesperson for the Bayerischer Bauernverband (BBV) said that ship transport of bread and fodder grain is becoming increasingly unprofitable. Ships can no longer be fully loaded because of the low water. In addition to low producer prices, higher logistics costs for road transport are now often incurred. Farmers with capacity are storing grain directly at the farm.
Ports and waterways authority
The Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Donau MDK in Nuremberg says that at low water, cargo ships can no longer be fully loaded, so more trips are needed for the same transport volume. Bayernhafen says storage capacity at the Bavarian ports on the Main, Main-Danube Canal and Danube plays an important role in the current situation. Bayernhafen's ports include Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg and Passau. In 2025, around 750,000 tonnes of agricultural goods including fertiliser were handled by inland vessel at these sites.
