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The EU grain output forecast for 2019 has been raised by around three million tonnes (mt) to 301mt.
This is slightly up from the March forecast of 298.5mt and substantially increased from the EU’s 2018 harvest of 281mt.
In its second report, Coceral (the European association to represent the trade in cereal, rice, feedstuff, oilseeds, olive oil, oils and fats and agro supply) stated that growing conditions have stabilised in many parts of the EU following rain.
This follows a dry autumn in 2018 and a dry period of six weeks in March and April.
The total area under cereals (birdseed and buckwheat) also increased from 2018, to reach 55,622,000ha.
Upward crop revisions
EU wheat production is expected to come in at 140.3mt, which is up slightly from the March report and well above the 2018 crop of 127.4mt.
The EU barley production forecast stands at 59mt, also up from 2018’s harvest of 56.1mt.
The EU maize crop has also been revised upward from 61mt to 62.9mt on account of a much higher than previously expected acreage in Germany and Romania.
Silver lining
Finally, on a more positive note, the oilseed rape production forecast for the EU has been reduced from 18.6mt to 17.9mt due to a sharp reduction in the French crop.
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