European soft wheat production is forecast at 134.5 million tonnes

In its third forecast for the 2024 crop, trade association Coceral pegged the total grain crop in the EU27 (the EU’s 27 members) and the UK at 296 million tonnes, slightly above the previous forecast of 295.5 million tonnes and up from the 292.8 million tonnes harvested in 2023. Wheat production (excluding durum) is expected at 134.5 million tonnes, compared with 134.1 million tonnes in the March forecast and down from 139.9 million tonnes harvested last year. Record rainfall in the fourth quarter of 2023 had a major negative effect on winter wheat and barley sowing in France, Germany, the UK, the Baltic states and Poland. The French wheat crop forecast was revised downward by around 5 million tonnes to 30.35 million tonnes in 2024, versus 35 million tonnes harvested in 2023, while Germany’s crop for 2024 is forecast at 20.25 million tonnes, down from the 21.3 million tonnes produced in 2023. Romania and Bulgaria are also forecast to have slightly lower wheat crops, of 10 million ...