June 1, 2011

Poland estimates lower grain plantings for 2011

Grain plantings in Poland, the EU's third-largest producer behind France and Germany, fell by 0.4% this year to about 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres), the Warsaw-based Central Statistical Office said.

In its spring estimate of crop conditions, the office said rapeseed plantings had decreased 12.5% from a year earlier to about 700,000 hectares, according to a survey carried out in the first 10 days of May. Sugar beet plantings were 2.2% lower at 195,500 hectares.

The winter wheat crop was graded 3.5 on the office's five-point scale, in which 3 is an "adequate" rating and 4 is "good." That compares with a 3.6 grade last year. The statistics office rated year's rapeseed crop at 2.9, down from 3.6 a year ago.

Winter kill totalled 1.4 % of all grain plantings, 1% of winter wheat, and 16% of rapeseed, the statistics office said.

Poland's grain production in the 2010-11 season ending next month will be 27 million tonnes, compared with 65 million tonnes for France and 44 million tonnes for Germany, according to the International Grains Council.