PARIS: Coceral has increased its forecast of soft wheat production in the European Union and Britain this year but sharply reduced its forecast for this year’s corn output, the grain trade association said on Wednesday.
For soft wheat, Europe’s most produced cereal, the 2026 crop is now expected at 143.7 million metric tons, against 142.6 million projected in March, Coceral said in a note. Soft wheat output is still expected to fall from last year’s bumper level of 150.8 million tons.
But a recent heatwave in top grower France should not significantly affect yield potential, while the Balkan region is set for another year of exceptional winter crop yields and crop conditions in Germany are good, Coceral said. For corn, projected 2026 output in the EU was reduced by 3 million tons to 57.2 million tons, now below estimated 2025 production of 57.8 million tons. UK corn output is negligible.
A drop in the corn area is expected to outweigh a recovery in yields from last year’s drought-hit levels.
“Over the last almost 10 years, corn acreage in the EU has thus dropped by more than 15 percent,” Coceral said, noting farmers have been discouraged by yields.