The European Union’s crop monitoring service MARS lowered its 2022 yield forecasts for most cereal and oilseed crops as dry conditions persisted in much of Europe.
For soft wheat, the EU’s main cereal crop, MARS cut its projection of this year’s yield to 5.76 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) from 5.89 t/ha forecast last month.
That was 4.7% below the 2021 level and now 1.3% below the average of the past five years, it said in a monthly report.
For rapeseed, the bloc’s primary oilseed crop, MARS revised down its outlook for this year’s yield to 3.12 t/ha from 3.17 t/ha forecast in May.
The new projection was 2.4% below last year’s yield although 1.4% above the five-year average.
“The main reason for the reduced yield outlook is the continued drier-than-usual conditions in large parts of Europe, with the strongest impacts in regions where these are combined with hot temperatures,” MARS said.
Hot temperatures, including exceptionally early 40 degree Celsius (104°F) peaks in Spain and France last week, have exacerbated dryness after low rainfall this year.
MARS made its sharpest yield revision to durum wheat, for which the EU yield was now seen at 3.44 t/ha against 3.61 t/ha a month earlier, reflecting a deterioration in southern Europe.
The durum forecast was now 2.3% below the five-year average.
The crop monitor trimmed its estimate of this year’s total EU barley yield to 4.88 t/ha from 4.89 t/ha last month, 0.7% above the five-year mean.
The slight cut to the total barley yield included a reduction to the expected winter barley yield and an increase for spring barley.
The projected grain maize yield was cut to 7.87 t/ha from 7.92 t/ha last month, while the forecast sunflower seed yield was trimmed to 2.37 t/ha from 2.39 t/ha.
The sugar beet yield forecast was increased marginally, to 78.1 t/ha from 78.0 t/ha in May, now 5.4% above the five-year average.
