Brussels, Belgium
October 4, 2013

Copa-Cogeca released final EU-27 cereals estimates for the 2013/14 marketing year today, showing EU grain production is back to a good level and the quality is good reaching 298 million tonnes.

This is 9.5% up on last years levels. But due to the late harvest, a lot of grain is still on the farm and transport will be tight.

The issue was discussed in Copa-Cogeca cereals working party. Speaking after the meeting,Chairman of the group Max Schulman from Finland stressed “The figures show that EU-27 grain production is up 9.5% this year on last years levels and the quality is good, especially good protein content and low mycotoxine levels”.

In particular, EU-27 soft wheat production is expected to climb by 8.6% to 134 million tonnes this year, barley production by 7.9% and maize production by 13.2%. But there is still a lot of uncertainty on the maize harvest due to changes in varieties which were used because of the late and very cool Spring season. A lot of grain is also still on the farm due to the late harvest and transport will be tight. Farmers consequently need all tools available at their disposal in order to compete on world markets. Good certified seed and a good range of plant protection products are essential”, he said.

He continued “The extreme volatility on agriculture markets is also severely affecting farmers incomes with losses of up to 50 euros per tonne. That is why farmers need to have access to financial market tools to cover their price risks, especially since production costs are still on the rise”

Website: http://www.copa-cogeca.be

Published: October 11, 2013