Lower grain production predicted from Europe in 2020

MarketsFarm — European grain production is expected to be down slightly in 2020, according to the first forecast for the year from European trade association Coceral.

In the report, released Thursday, Coceral pegged total grain production for the European Union and United Kingdom in 2020 at 302.7 million tonnes, which would be down from the 2019 level of 308.9 million tonnes.

Of that total, wheat production (excluding durum) is forecast to be down five per cent on the year at 137.9 million tonnes.

The decline was linked to acreage reductions in France, Germany, Denmark and the U.K., after heavy rains hampered planting operations in the fall. Yield reductions are also forecast for France, Denmark and the U.K.

Coceral forecasts European barley production in 2020 at 60.8 million tonnes, which would be down from the 62.2 million tonnes grown in 2019, with most of the reduction linked to a return to average yields.

While wheat and barley production may be down on the year, the corn crop is forecast to rise by 6.5 per cent, to 65 million tonnes, as wet weather that hampered fall seeding for winter grains should see some extra area seeded to corn.

European rapeseed production is forecast at 17.1 million tonnes, which compares with the 16.7 million tonnes grown the previous year.

— Phil Franz-Warkentin reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.