Good crop situation in Europe except in Spain, Portugal and Italy

Large parts of Europe experienced considerable rainfall between 1 March and 17 April, which was beneficial for restoring soil moisture and groundwater levels, but in some cases caused considerable delays in planting and in others operations in the field, according to the report on the state of the crops prepared by the European Commission (MARS report) Drought conditions continued in northern Italy and worsened in the Iberian Peninsula. In northern Italy and Spain, the sowing season for summer crops began with great concern about the future availability of water for irrigation, given the low capacity of the reservoirs. This is causing a substantial reduction in the planted area and/or a shift from rice or maize to other crops that are more tolerant to drought. Part of the rainfed areas may not be planted at all. Winter crops and spring barley have been negatively affected in Spain and Portugal, but in Italy they remain in good condition. Pronounced rainfall surpluses occurred in ...