According to the crop monitoring Bulletin for Europe, yield forecasts for wheat and barley were revised downwards by around 1% at EU level compared to the May Bulletin. The yield forecasts for rapeseed and rye were revised upwards, but remain below the five-year average.
Hot and dry weather conditions hampered crop development in several EU regions.
In central Spain, persistent drought conditions have seriously impacted winter crops for several weeks.
In France, a dry May and a hot June resulted in unfavourable conditions for both winter and spring crops that are now in the grain-filling stage.
In Belgium, Luxembourg and the southern Netherlands, the grain-filling of winter and spring cereals was negatively affected by high temperatures combined with a cumulated rainfall deficit.
Exceptionally warm and/or dry conditions are also affecting some of the main arable land areas in Italy, western Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, eastern Poland and Lithuania, but, so far, with limited impact on crops in these regions.
According to the MARS Bulletin global outlook on Russia, winter and spring crops are generally in good shape, despite delayed crop development in most regions due to colder-than-usual weather conditions in spring. The yield outlook for winter wheat is good, but lower than last year’s record level.
In Turkey, winter crops benefited from generally favourable spring conditions. Yield forecasts are well above the five-year average and above last year’s level. The outlook for summer crops is also positive.
In Ukraine, a rain deficit in central Ukraine negatively impacted winter cereals and spring barley. The yield forecasts are well below last year’s levels, but still above the five-year average.
The global outlook Bulletin on northern Africa reports a positive season for Morocco and Tunisia, but negative for Algeria due to an agricultural campaign that was marked by drier-than-usual conditions in the main crop-producing regions. In Libya and Egypt, where the majority of crops are cultivated under full irrigation systems, the yield prospects are around average.