EU & UK: Total barley production forecast at 61.5 mln tonnes in 2020

In its revised forecast for the 2020 crop, COCERAL sees the total grain crop in the EU-27+UK at 301.8 mln tonnes. This is marginally down from the 302.7 mln tonnes seen in the first forecast and 6.1 mln tonnes down from the 2019 level of 307.9 mln tonnes.

Wheat production (excluding durum) is seen at 135.4 mln tonnes down from the previous 137.9 mln tonnes and from last year’s 145.7 mln tonnes. The expected decrease is mainly due to a further significant acreage reduction in the UK due to abundant rains during the planting season last fall.

The EU’s 2020 barley production is now forecast at 61.5 mln tonnes, up from the 60.8 mln tonnes seen in the first forecast, but down from the 62.2 mln tonnes last year. This is mainly due to a higher than previously expected spring barley area in the UK which is expected to benefit from lower winter wheat and rapeseed plantings.

The EU’s 2020 corn crop is still expected to reach 65.5 mln tonnes and thus more than last year’s 61.0 mln tonnes. The corn acreage is seen benefiting from the wet planting campaign for winter grains. It is therefore seen at 9.0 mln ha versus 8.5 mln ha in 2019. The most notable year-on-year increases in production are expected for France, Germany and Poland.

The 2020 rapeseed production forecast for the EU has been slightly revised down from 17.1 mln tonnes to 17.0 mln tonnes as a further downward revision in the UK’s acreage has not been offset by a higher acreage in France.

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