Drought could hamper EU plans to resume corn production

Strategie Grains experts believe that in 2023, EU countries can resume corn production after the previous dry season, if this is not hindered by a new wave of drought and the limited amount of grain sowing area in the EU.

Last year, due to dry weather, European farmers decided not to increase the area of corn sowing in 2023 and left it at the level of a 5-year minimum. Because of this, the forecast for corn production in the EU has been reduced by 900,000 tons to 61.2 million tons, but in case of dry weather in July, this indicator may further decrease to 60 million tons and below.

Against the background of a significant reduction in the area of corn sowing in France, Romania can restore the status of the largest grain producer in the EU, but everything will depend on the final yield. The Romanian consulting company AGRIColumn forecasts the corn harvest in the country at the level of 14 million tons.

In June, the MSG of France lowered estimates of the area of corn sowing to 1.23 million hectares, which would be 9% less than last year and 15% less than the 5-year average.

In Germany, rain fell the other day, but it was not able to restore the condition of crops after a long drought in May and June. According to the estimates of the DBV farmers’ association, corn production in the country will decrease by 20% compared to the previous year to 3.58 million tons.

In Poland, the recent rains improved the condition of corn crops, especially since the main part of the crops did not experience a lack of precipitation. Sparks Polska analysts believe that the weather in July will be decisive, and so far they estimate the corn harvest at 7.1 million tons, which will be 8% less than the record figure of 2022 due to the reduction of the sowing area.

According to the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction, on Thursday, July 6, the average temperature on Earth reached a historical maximum and exceeded +17.23 ^°C. The previous temperature record was set in August 2016, when the average temperature was +16.92 ^° C. Increase experts explain the rise in temperature as the El Nino phenomenon, in which every 2-7 years the water temperature on the surface of the ocean in the center and east of the tropical Pacific Ocean rises. The El Niño phenomenon lasts from 9 to 12 months.

Friederike Otto, a climatologist at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College London, previously said that breaking the global average temperature record is a “death sentence” for humanity.

Tags: corn, EU, drought