European Crop Monitoring Service MARS raises wheat and corn yield forecasts

The MARS crop monitoring service on Monday raised its forecast for the EU common wheat yield in 2025 from 6.04 to 6.05 t/ha compared to its May estimate, which would be 9% higher than last year and 5% above the 5-year average. Despite dry conditions in northern Europe, the weather in southern regions is conducive to crop formation.

 

France and the Benelux countries suffered from a rainfall deficit at a time when winter crops were in the grain filling stage. However, significant rainfall is not expected in the future, so the yield of winter and spring crops will continue to deteriorate, MARS reports.

 

The summer of 2025 is expected to be drier and hotter than usual in the area from the UK to the Black Sea, a report on drought in Europe says.

 

MARS experts have raised the EU barley yield forecast (winter and spring varieties) compared to May estimates from 5.14 to 5.23 t/ha, which would be 10% above the 5-year average. The corn yield forecast has also been raised from 7.45 to 7.46 t/ha.

 

At the same time, the forecast for rapeseed yield has been reduced compared to April estimates from 3.20 to 3.17 t/ha, which will exceed last year's figure by 8%. The forecast for sugar beet yield has been reduced compared to May estimates from 77.9 to 76.3 t/ha.

 

A pest that causes stem blight and other bacterial diseases is spreading through sugar beet and potato crops in Germany. According to a report, a third of sugar beet crops could be damaged.

 

Despite the fact that most regions are suffering from drought, in northern Italy winter crops are under stress after an excessively wet spring, which negatively affects yields.