Poor UK wheat harvest tightens market balance

Published Dec 12, 2024

Tridge summary

The UK is experiencing a significant decrease in wheat harvest for the 2024-2025 agricultural season, with a projected decline of 21% to 11.051 million tons, marking the second weakest harvest since record-keeping began. This reduction in production is attributed to a combination of reduced sown areas and unfavorable weather conditions during the growing season. Despite high domestic stocks and anticipated active imports, the small harvest size is expected to pose challenges in achieving market balance. The country is on track to increase its wheat imports by 313 thousand tons to 2.75 million tons, with noticeable growth in the first three months of the season. Opening stocks are estimated to reach their highest level in at least 22 years at 2.987 million tonnes. The total supply of wheat in the British market is projected to be 1.581 million tonnes less than the previous season, at 16.788 million tonnes.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The decline of nearly 21% in the wheat harvest in the UK in the 2024-2025 agricultural season, which began on July 1, compared to the last season to 11.051 million tons will make it as difficult as possible to achieve an acceptable balance on the domestic market despite high stocks and expectations for active imports, the British Council for the Development of Agriculture and Horticulture commented. The harvest is the second weakest in the UK since statistics on this indicator have been kept, after the 2013-2014 season, and the reason is the annual contraction of the sown areas with the grain crop and adverse weather conditions during much of the growing season, which led to a decline in yields. This season, an increase of 313 thousand tons in wheat imports in the UK is forecast compared to the last to 2.75 million tons. In the first 3 months of the season, imports have doubled compared to the same period last season to 887 thousand tonnes, but the pace is expected to slow in the ...

Source: Sinor