Scandinavia: Malting barley production has been hit 5-fold

Denmark finished a week before the barley and Sweden just running in the last of the crop. Finland has all in, H. ABILDSTROEM & Co. ApS commented in its report published on September 21.

The last lots all had some pre-germination, but still too early to make a full picture of the damages. In any case malting barley production has been hit 5-fold:
1) smaller area,
2) smaller yield,
3) lower calibration,
4) rejection on high protein and
5) pre-germination and abandoning of grain on the fields.

Slowly official production figures become available but in Denmark as well as in Sweden the prognoses for crop 2006 still seem overestimated. Swedish crop: latest assessment total grain 4.3 mil against last year 5.05 ts.

Principally H. ABILDSTROEM & Co. ApS� estimate after having consulted the trade is that we could see the following export surplus based on max. 12% protein and otherwise usual specifications: Denmark: 350,000 ts Sweden: 5,000 ts ? Finland (max 12.5 pro) 15,000 ts ?

The Astoria in the mid of Sweden came in reasonably well with 11.5 protein, nice screening and mainly without sprouting. This will have to make up for the losses in South Sweden, and despite heavy haulage costs likely being supplied primarily to domestic malster.

Winter sowings have been running to schedule. F. inst in Denmark 250.000 ha done in only one week. Both in Denmark and Sweden the winter sown area will be higher than last year.