September 22, 2022

MARS cuts EU summer crops yield forecasts, says rainfall arrived too late

MARS, the European Union's crop monitoring service, said they have cut EU summer crops yield projections because rainfall in many parts of the region has arrived too late to reverse drought-related damage earlier in the season, Reuters reported.

MARS forecasted a yield of 6.39 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) for the EU's grain maize crop, which will be harvested in the autumn. This is a decrease from the 6.63 t/ha forecast made last month, and it is now 19% below both the level for 2021 and the five-year average.

MARS said most regions saw an end to the summer drought that had held onto Europe. In a monthly report, MARS stated that the improved weather conditions came too late to significantly benefit summer crops.

MARS also said in some regions, the hot and dry weather persisted well into the time under review, which caused yield expectations to be further reduced.

The 7.92 t/ha estimate released in May was almost 20% lower than MARS' outlook for September's maize yield.

In recent weeks, forecasters have decreased their predictions for the crops in the EU to account for summer damage.

MARS slightly lowered its EU yield prediction for sunflower seed from 2.06 t/ha to 2.05 t/ha, which is now 14% below 2021. It predicted an average yield of 2.40 t/ha for soybeans, down from 2.46 t/ha last month and 15% below last year.

For the winter crops grown in the EU, such as soft wheat, winter barley, and rapeseed, for which harvesting is complete in the majority of Europe, the monitor did not provide updated yield estimates.

However, MARS said that rainfall since mid-August had improved soil conditions for planting winter crops the following year, particularly rapeseed, in the majority of regions.

-      Reuters