July 13, 2006

 

Strategie Grains cuts 06-07 EU grain crop to 259.3 million tonnes

 

 

Strategie Grains lowered its estimate of 2006-07 European Union cereal production in its monthly report Thursday (Jul 14) to 259.3 million tonnes, which is down 3.8 million tonnes from the previous month and now just 1 percent above last year's output.

 

Forecasts were lowered in most grain classes due to high temperatures, predominantly in France as well as Germany and Hungary.

 

Strategie Grains now estimates EU 2006-07 soft wheat output at 115.7 million tonnes, which is down about 2.3 million tonnes from last month's forecast, but still up 1 percent from the 2005-06 crop.

 

The largest reduction for soft wheat was forecast for France, with a 1.9-million-tonne drop on the month. Germany's soft wheat crop was also cut by 500,000 tonnes.

 

Meanwhile, the UK soft wheat crop was raised slightly due to larger area, but the group said a high incidence of septoria there would lower yields.

 

Strategie Grains said the soft wheat harvest is now nearly finished in southern Europe and started at the beginning of July in France and Austria. By mid-July cutting would be underway in Germany and Hungary, the report said.

 

Weather conditions in the coming days would be crucial in determining yields and quality for barley, wheat, and other cereals to be harvested in northern Europe, Strategie Grains said.

 

EU corn production was estimated at 48.5 million tonnes, down 740,000 tonnes from last month, and down 3 percent from 2005-06 output.

 

The 2006-07 EU durum crop is now forecast at 8.3 million tonnes, up 10 percent from last year's reduced crop. Solid durum yields have been reported so far in Spain and Greece, the report said.

 

Table of EU cereal output, area, yields

 

The following are tables of European Union crop statistics from the July edition of Strategie Grains, an EU grains supply and demand report, released Thursday.

 

CEREAL         EU-25 OUTPUT (million tonnes)

                2006-07    2005-06   Change On Yr

Soft wheat       115.7      114.8        +1%

Barley            56.1       53.2        +6%

Corn              48.5       50.0        -3%

Durum wheat        8.3        7.5       +10%

Rye                7.6        7.6         0%

Oats & other      23.0       23.1         0%

TOTAL            259.3      256.2        +1%

 

CEREAL          EU-25 AREA SOWN (million hectares)

                 2006-07     2005-06   Change On Yr

Soft wheat        19.1         19.2         -1%

Barley            13.0         13.1          0%

Corn               6.0          6.1         -3%

Durum wheat        2.8          3.1        -10%

Rye                2.4          2.5         -2%

Oats & other       6.9          7.0         -2%

TOTAL             50.2         50.9         -2%

 

CEREAL            EU-25 YIELDS ( tonnes/hectare)

                   2006-07      2005-06    Change On Yr

Soft wheat         6.1          6.0          +2%

Barley             4.3          4.1          +6%

Corn               8.1          8.2          -1%

Durum wheat        3.0          2.4         +22%

Rye                3.2          3.1          +3%

Oats & other       3.3          3.3          +2%

AVERAGE            5.2          5.0          +3%