MARS crop monitoring service has lowered yield forecasts for almost all grain crops for the EU

Experts from the MARS crop monitoring service on Monday reduced their forecasts for grain yields in the EU this year due to dry weather in many regions, although overall grain crops are developing normally.

Compared to April estimates, yield forecasts have been reduced:

• soft wheat (the most popular grain crop in the EU) – from 6.05 to 6.01 t/ha, which will be 5% lower than last year's figure and 2% higher than the 5-year average,
• rapeseed (the most popular oilseed crop in the EU) – from 3.25 to 3.19 t/ha, which will be 5% lower than last year,
• barley – from 5.15 to 5.06 t/ha, which will be 10% lower than last year and 1% higher than the average 5-year indicator, while the forecast for winter barley yield has been reduced from 5.23 to 5.13 t/ha,
• corn for grain - from 7.33 to 7.3 t/ha, which will exceed last year's figure by 2% and the 5-year average by 3%.

The sowing campaign is nearing completion in most regions, but late frosts may have negatively affected rapeseed crops in some regions of Central and Eastern Europe, and the lack of precipitation in April in central, eastern and northern regions slowed down biomass accumulation. However, the cool, rainy weather that has set in and will continue for some time in Central and South-Eastern Europe will replenish soil moisture reserves and improve crop development, MARS reports.

Although yield forecasts for major crops have been lowered, they still remain at or above the 5-year average.