EU: Cereal crops generally in decent condition thanks to mild winter

Cereal crops in the European Union are generally in decent condition after a mild winter but more rain is needed in a dry swathe of southern Europe, the EU's crop monitoring service said on March 18.

Crops suffered minimal frost damage this winter and benefitted from unusually warm temperatures last month to advance in their growth, the MARS service said in a monthly report.

However, low rainfall that accompanied the warm spell had accentuated dryness across southern Europe and in parts of central Europe following drought last year, it said.

Reservoir levels were currently low in Spain, Portugal and Italy, which could hamper irrigation in summer, it added.

Like other crop observers, MARS said rapeseed rather than cereals had been most hurt by drought so far, with farmers reducing sowings and also replacing some struggling rapeseed plants with other crops like spring barley.

In its first yield forecasts for the 2019 harvest, based on historical trends, MARS mostly anticipated higher yields compared with last year's drought-affected production.

The soft wheat yield in the EU was projected at 6.04 tonnes per hectare (t/ha), up 7.4 percent from 2018 and 1.7 percent above the average of the past five years.

The EU winter barley yield was forecast at 6.02 t/ha, up 9.6 percent from last year and 4.1 percent above the five-year average.

The EU rapeseed yield was pegged at 3.19 t/ha, up 12 pct from 2018 but 1.4 percent below the five-year mean.

The durum wheat yield was initially expected to edge down 0.8 percent to 3.51 t/ha, although this would be 1.5 percent above the five-year average.

MARS did not give yield estimates for crops like spring barley, maize or sugar beet which are sown at the end of winter or in spring.

19 March, 2019