July 20, 2004

 

 

EU 2004-05 Soft Wheat Crop Seen At 119 Million MT, Up 21% On Year

 

The 2004-05 European Union soft wheat harvest is estimated to total 119 million metric tons, up from 98.3 million tons harvested last year, Hamburg-based trade house Alfred C. Toepfer said in its July market review released Monday.

 

Among the largest wheat-producing countries of the E.U., France's wheat output is expected to total 36.2 million tons, up from 29.2 million tons last year, while the German crop is estimated at 23.7 million tons, up from 19.3 million tons in 2003.

 

Crops in Germany suffer from cold and overly wet weather, which has led to a higher risk of infection, the report said. "Warmer temperatures and dry weather are necessary within the next eight to 10 days in order to avoid quality problems and losses," it said.

 

In the U.K., the 2004-05 wheat harvest is expected to reach 16 million tons, up from 14.3 million tons, while Hungary is posting significant output gains both for corn and wheat, the report said.

 

Corn production in Hungary is seen sharply up on the year at 6.9 million tons, up from 4.6 million tons in 2003, the report said, while wheat output is seen at 5.3 million tons, up from 2.9 million tons last year.

 

Total grains production within the E.U. is estimated at 268.6 million tons, up from 226.8 million tons in 2003, which, based on the good crop prospects and limited export possibilities, will result in prices around intervention level on the E.U. domestic market, the report said.

 

E.U. 2004-05 grain production (quantities in million tons)

 

             2004-05    2003-04

Wheat      119.0        98.3

Durum     9.0            7.9

Barley      58.6         54.1

Corn        50.7         38.4

Rye          8.6          7.0

Others      22.7        21.1

Total        268.6       226.8