EU grain yields to rise 1.2% this year

Food and feed grain production in the EU will rise 1.2% to 293.725 million tonnes this year and may be revised higher because of favourable weather conditions this spring, USDA said in a report Tuesday (May 4).

Increased production of wheat, barley, corn and other grains will boost exports to 24.75 million tonnes in the marketing year that begins July 1, up 9.9% from a forecast of 22.525 million this season. Reserves will be virtually unchanged at 41.606 million tonnes before the 2011 harvest, compared to 41.576 million expected this year.

The EU is expected to produce 315.9 million tonnes of grain and oilseed crop this harvest, according to German grain trader Toepfer International. That includes a 141.1 million-tonne wheat and durum crop for the whole European conglomerate.

If the estimate of the total grain crop eventuates, it will be a fall of 2% on last year.

This year's forecast for the wheat and durum crop is 1.4% larger than the previous harvest.

France is the EU's largest grain and oilseed producer, with an expected harvest of 73.2 million tonnes. Toepfer estimated this year's French wheat crop at 35.9 million tonnes. Germany follows with an anticipated crop of 52.1 million tonnes, or 16.5% of the EU total. Next is Poland with 31 million tonnes, the UK on 23.9 million tonnes and Spain on 19.9 million tonnes. USDA will release its new crop estimates next month.