PARIS: Grain trade association Coceral on Thursday cut its forecast of soft wheat production in the European Union and Britain to 141.5 million tonnes from 143.0 million seen in December but still well above last year's harvest of 128.2 million tonnes.

The reduction mainly stemmed from lower than previously expected sowings in Germany, Italy, and Hungary, it said in its second outlook for this year's harvest. Last year's wheat crop was notably reduced by rain-disrupted sowing followed by spring drought, but weather conditions have been more favourable for 2021 crops so far.

The estimate of 2020 soft wheat production was revised down from Coceral's forecast of 127.9 mln t in December. For the European Union with 27 member states Coceral cut its soft wheat harvest estimate to 126.6 million tonnes, down from 127.9 million tonnes expected in December.

Coceral kept its forecast of the EU + UK barley harvest at 61.5 million tonnes as a rise in the British barley crop forecast compensated for a cut in the EU-27 forecast. In oilseeds, Coceral cut its forecast of this year's rapeseed crop in the EU + UK to 17.7 million tonnes, from 17.8 million tonnes seen in December, still above the 17.1 million harvested in 2020, an estimate raised from 16.9 million in December.