BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — In its third estimate for the 2019 crop, Coceral sees the E.U. total grain crop at 304.9 million tonnes, up from the May forecast of 301 million and significantly up from last year’s crop when farmers harvested 281.5 million tonnes.
Wheat production is projected at 143.3 million tonnes, up from the 140.3 million seen in May and well above the 128.8 million in 2018. Crop estimates for France and the U.K. have seen the most significant upward revisions, with actual yields being better than previously forecast.
The E.U.’s barley production forecast for 2019 stands at 60.8 million tonnes, up from 59 million in the May forecast and from 56 million last year.
The E.U.’s corn crop forecast has been revised down from 62.9 million tonnes to 61.6 million (last year 59.9 million) mainly because of downward revisions in Germany and France due to hot and dry weather during pollination.
The rapeseed production forecast for the E.U. has been reduced from 17.9 million tonnes to 17.3 million due to further reductions in the French, German and the U.K.’s crops. In 2018, the E.U. rapeseed crop stood at 20 million tonnes.
Coceral is the European association representing the trade in cereals, rice, feedstuffs, oilseeds, olive oil, oils and fats and agrosupply.