The European Commission has raised slightly its monthly forecast of usable production of common wheat, or soft wheat, in the European Union in 2022-23, to 130.4 million tonnes from 130.1 million previously, data posted on its website showed.
The latest projection was also slightly above production of 130.1 million tonnes in the current 2021-22 season.
The commission cut its forecast for EU usable production of barley in 2022-23 to 52.3 million tonnes from 53.5 million a month earlier and lowered its projection for the EU’s 2022-23 maize crop to 72.5 million tonnes from 73.4 million.
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In its supply-and-demand estimates published in early June, the commission reduced its forecast for EU soft wheat exports next season, to 38 million tonnes from 40 million, while increasing its outlook for EU maize imports in 2022-23 to 13 million tonnes from nine million previously.
Like other forecasters, the commission has been trying to factor in the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has significantly disrupted Ukrainian grain exports.
For 2021-22, expected EU soft wheat exports were lowered to 31 million tonnes from 32 million a month earlier and forecast EU maize imports raised to 16 million tonnes from 14 million.
In oilseeds, the commission trimmed its forecast for the 2022-23 EU rapeseed crop to 18.1 million tonnes from 18.3 million and lowered its EU sunflower seed crop estimate to 10.9 million tonnes from 11.2 million.
For EU sunflower oil imports, most of which usually come from Ukraine, the projected 2022-23 volume was increased sharply to 1.5 million tonnes from about 0.9 million and closer to an expected 1.9 million this season.
