European Union soft wheat exports are down 11% to 15.84 million tonnes since the start of the 2023-24 season in July, compared to a year ago, according to European Commission data.
The Commission’s data as of Jan. 7 showed Romania was still the biggest EU soft wheat exporter so far in 2023-24, with 4.07 million tonnes shipped, followed by France with 3.36 million, Poland with 2.34 million, Bulgaria at 1.67 million and Lithuania at 1.49 million.
EU wheat exports this season have been curbed by strong Russian competition, including in Algeria, though the gap compared with last season has narrowed in recent weeks, partly reflecting French shipments to China.
According to the Commission, the top five destinations for the EU’s soft wheat exports so far in 2023-24 were Morocco (2.24 million tonnes), Nigeria (1.54 million), Algeria (1.37 million), Egypt (1.28 million) and South Africa (796,282).
EU barley exports totaled 3.17 million tonnes, up 3% from 2022-23, while EU maize imports were at 9.03 million tonnes, down 43% from a year earlier. For maize imports, Spain remained the largest EU buyer so far in 2023-24 with 3.95 million tonnes.
