Copa and Cogeca released consolidated estimates for the 2018 European cereal harvest. The figures confirm Copa and Cogeca’s June forecasts, showing a 12,2% drop in total EU grain production, barely reaching 273 million tonnes, compared to more than 300 million tonnes last year.
Max Schulman, Copa and Cogeca Cereals Working Party Chairman commented: “Most European farmers have been hit by severe droughts, which are not yet over. It is key that we and our governments draw lessons from this crisis. Member states should now fully implement all available climatic risk tools at their disposal. On its side, the European Commission should better anticipate and take swifter action.”
For oilseeds, Copa and Cogeca forecast total EU production at 30.7 million tonnes – compared with 33.5 million tonnes last year. “We know already that the current drought episodes will impact the next marketing year. Sowing and seedling emergence are currently made difficult in many regions of the EU as soil conditions are not good,” said Arnaud Rousseau, Chairman of the Working Party on Oilseeds and Protein Crops at Copa and Cogeca. For protein crops, the production is expected to be around 1 million tonnes less.
Source: Copa and Cogeca
