EU: Winter crops reported in good condition

MARS, the crop monitoring branch of the EU Commission, reported winter crops in good condition and a good start of spring drilling operations. An average yield estimate of 5.83 tonnes/ha (last year 6.08) is based on historical trends, H. M. Gauger GmbH said in their latest report earlier in April.

Winter weather had been optimal in the whole of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, but by now weather has turned much too dry, and an unusual cold wave spreading from Scandinavia into the continent delays growth in the fields.

The Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy, and the Maghreb states had been impacted by a severe drought, recent heavy rains may have come too late for North Africa, but did a lot of good for Spain and Portugal. It is very dry in Turkey and the Middle East.