Weather delays EU spring planting, winter crops average: MARS

Cold and wet weather has hampered spring crop planting while winter crops have seen no substantial damage across the continent, the European Commission’s crop monitoring unit MARS said in its monthly update Monday.

While spring crop sowing has been held up by excessively wet fields, winter cereal development has largely been in line with previous years, with MARS raising its wheat yield forecasts for Germany and the UK.

EU-wide soft wheat yields were raised to 6.23 mt/ha – up 1.9% on last year’s figure and 4.4% on the five-year average – with fields expected to produce the equivalent of 30 kg/ha more than they were last month.

Winter barley production is expected to come in at 6.08 mt/ha, up 1.6% from last year’s production and 5% above the five-year average.

Outside of the EU, MARS put the Ukrainian wheat yield at 4.26 mt/ha, up 3.5% from last year and 8.2% above the five-year average, while Turkey is forecast at 3 mt/ha, up 7.9% from last year and 11% above the five-year average.

Ukrainian corn is set to come in at 3.24 mt/ha, down 2.2% from last year but still 9.8% above the five-year average.