Mild March Helps EU Spring Grain Sowing As Dryness Monitored
A mild, dry March has enabled European farmers to advance spring grain sowing, with winter crops in fair to good condition. However, ongoing dryness in central and eastern regions, including Romania and Bulgaria, raises concerns about soil moisture levels and potential yield impacts. Timely rainfall in April will be crucial to sustain crop development and achieve favorable harvest outcomes
A mild, dry March has let farmers in much of Europe make a brisk start to spring grain sowing, though a continuing lack of rain into April could start to hamper crop growth, analysts said.
The European Union’s total spring cereal area is expected to decline this year, as winter crops regain ground in Western Europe after rain losses last season, while farmers turn away from maize in Southeast Europe following drought.
“Overall, the dry weather across Europe is rather favourable,” Argus analyst Maxence Devillers said. “Sowing is progressing well. The spring crops will need rain to return but it’s still early days.”
Sparse rain is more a risk for winter grains that are further ahead in their growth, though the EU’s crop monitoring service said winter grains were currently in good shape.
The dry spell has been welcome in France, where soggy conditions that slashed last year’s wheat crop persisted during winter in some regions.
French farmers have wrapped up spring barley sowing and may start maize planting next week, Devillers said.
A lack of rain, coupled with winds that dried out topsoil, has become a concern in the north, though showers since late last week should help crops, a French trader said.
“The situation is pretty good for the start of spring,” he said.
‘Excellent’ Sowing Conditions
In Germany, fieldwork has also been brisk.
“I think Germany’s spring sowing conditions were excellent and good progress has been made,” one German grains analyst said.
Germany’s area planted with spring grains should shrink, with better autumn conditions and a mild winter reducing the need to resow damaged crops, the analyst added.
In Poland, spring sowing has progressed at a normal pace, with a lack of rain causing some concern, said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska.
Unlike elsewhere in the EU, Polish farmers were expected to maintain a similar maize area, he said, forecasting the area would top 1.2 million hectares for the third straight year.
Further north, mild weather has also helped sowing in Scandinavia.
“The weather was favourable in Sweden and Denmark and about 90% of both spring wheat and spring barley has been sown in Sweden,” a Swedish analyst said, adding that area levels in Sweden should be fairly stable while the harvest outlook was good.
In contrast, heavy rain could delay spring planting in Spain, though winter crops remained mostly in good condition, the EU’s crop monitor said in a report.
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Source : ESM Magazine
