April 12, 2007

 

Strategie Grains cuts 2007/08 EU grain estimate slightly
 

 

Strategie Grains cut its estimate for the European Union's 2007/08 cereal crop by 300,000 tonnes to 284.6 million tonnes in its April report Thursday.

 

This forecast is still up 9 percent from last year's output of 261.6 million tonnes.

 

The largest reduction was in barley, with Strategie Grains cutting it's EU estimate by 400,000 tonnes from last month's figure to 60.2 million tonnes.

 

"So far, the winter cereals have developed in good conditions," said the analytical report.

 

However, it warned that because no rain is forecast before mid-April, rainfall would be needed in the second half of the month.

 

The following are tables of Strategie Grains' EU-27 crop forecasts:

 

Output (million tonnes)

                      April         March

Cereal           2007/08    2007/08    2006/05     Change on-year

Soft wheat       127.3         127.4       116.7          +9 percent

Barley              60.2          60.6         55.8           +8 percent

Corn                 57.4          56.2        53.3           +8 percent

Durum               8.1            8.1          8.1            +1 percent

Rye                   8.1            8.1          6.5            +25 percent

Oats and others  23.4          23.6        21.3          +10 percent

Total                284.6         284.9       261.6         +9 percent

 

Yields (tonnes/hectare)

                       April       March
Cereal          2007/08    2007/08    2006/05    Change on-year
Soft wheat         5.7            5.8           5.4          +7 percent

Barley               4.3            4.4           4.1          +7 percent

Corn                 6.6            6.6            6.3          +5 percent

Durum              3.0            3.0            3.0          -2 percent

Rye                  3.2            3.2             2.8         +14 percent

Oats and others 3.3            3.3             2.9         +11 percent

Average            5.0            5.0             4.7         +7 percent

 

Area sown (million hectares)

                      April        March

Cereal         2007/08    2007/08    2006/05    Change on-year

Soft wheat        22.1          22.1         21.7          +2 percent

Barley              13.9          13.9         13.8          +1 percent

Corn                  8.6          8.6           8.4            +2 percent

Durum               2.7          2.7           2.7            +3 percent

Rye                    2.5          2.5           2.3            +10 percent

Oats and others   7.2          7.2           7.3           -1 percent

Total                 57.2         57.2          56.2          +2 percent