EU Predicts 16 percent Cereal Harvest Increase

Wheat is expected to be up 4.8 percent, barley 5 percent, and maize (corn) 20 percent. The predicted increases are seen as positive news, but low global stocks will continue to impact prices.

Favourable weather conditions and an increase in the planted area farmed should result in this years EU cereals harvest being near to 301 million tonnes, 43 million tonnes more than in 2007.

This represents an increase of 16% on the 2007 harvest and 9% on the past five years' average production.

The yield forecast for cereals is 5 tonnes per hectare across the EU and thus significantly higher than last year and the average over the past five years. The total EU27 area used for cereals in 2008 is estimated to have increased by 5 % compared to 2007, due to a 0 % set-aside rate and high cereals prices.

The report quotes the latest yield forecasts for individual crop figures across the EU27 based on an average over the past five years as follows:

• Soft wheat: 5.6 t/ha (+4.8%)
• Durum wheat: 3.1 t/ha (+12.8%)
• Barley: 4.4 t/ha (+5.7%)
• Grain maize: 6.9 t/ha (+9.5%)
• Rape seed: 2.9 t/ha (-2,1%)
• Sunflower: 1.6 t/ha (+1.7%)
• Potato: 26.5 t/ha (-1.1%)
• Sugar beet: 70.3 t/ha (+19.0%)

ThePigSite News Desk

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