Larger grain harvest predicted for EU
In its first forecast for the 2025 crop, Coceral sees the total grain crop in the EU-27+UK at 297.8 million tonnes. This would be up some 20 million tonnes from the 278.5 million tonnes harvested in 2024.
Wheat production (excluding durum) is expected to increase from 125.5 million to 140.4 million tonnes, mainly because of a higher area and a return to normal yields in Western Europe after the disappointing crop in 2024. The EU-27+UK 2025 barley production is forecast at 59.7 million tonnes, up from 57.3 million tonnes in 2024.
Corn crop – increasing year on year
The EU-27+UK 2025 corn crop is seen increasing year-on-year to 61.9 million tonnes (2024: 60.2 million tonnes), with a much higher crop in the Balkan countries, but slightly lower crops in Germany and France.
Rapeseed crop – forecast to recover
The EU-27+UK rapeseed crop is forecast to recover from 18.3 million tonnes to 20.3 million tonnes, mainly because of a return to a normal planting pattern in Romania and Bulgaria and a recovery in yields in France and Germany, the Brussels based organisation says.
France grain production
More specifically, for the largest grain producing country France, Coceral calculates a total area of 8.740 million hectares of grain as to 8.320 million hectares last season, an increase of 5%. Total production could reach 61.199 million tonnes compared to 53.525 million tonnes in 2024. Last year’s harvest was the lowest in almost 40 years, the French statistical office Agreste reported earlier. The Coceral figures coincide with the latest prediction of Agreste which, based on 93% of fields already sowed, calculates the total area of the main crop soft winter wheat to be 9% higher y-o-y at 4.5 million hectares.
Germany
In Germany, total grain production could increase from 39.150 million tonnes in the previous season to 41.835 million tonnes, Coceral says.
Spain
However, in Spain, grain production is predicted to go down from 21.200 million to 18.871 million tonnes due to a lower yield per hectare.
Italy
In Italy, production would be more or less stable year-over-year with a total production of 12.496 million tonnes of grain.
Eastern Europe
In the Eastern European region, Poland remains by far the largest producer of grain with a predicted harvest of 34.988 million tonnes which would be nearly the same figure as last year. Rumania can bring in 22.373 million tonnes, 7% less than in the 2024 season, while the grain harvest in more smaller producing Eastern European countries like Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Croatia could increase significantly.
