European Crop Monitoring Service MARS raises some crop forecasts

Crop monitoring service MARS on Monday raised its forecast for soft wheat yields in the European Union this year, citing high expectations in southern Europe, while noting that dry weather continued to threaten yields in the northern part of the bloc.

The service forecast soft wheat yields in the EU at 6.05 metric tons per hectare, up from 6.04 tons per hectare forecast last month. That was 9% higher than last year’s rain-hit harvest and 5% above the five-year average.

France and the Benelux countries have suffered from a prolonged lack of rain just as winter crops are filling out. As the dry weather continues, yields for winter and spring crops are likely to worsen, MARS said.

The 2025 summer is forecast to be warmer and drier than normal across a wide area from the UK to the Black Sea, according to MARS, in a separate report on drought in Europe.

MARS forecasts the EU total barley yield, including both winter and spring varieties, at 5.23 t/ha, up from last month’s forecast of 5.14 t/ha and 10% above the five-year average.

For rapeseed, the EU average yield in 2025 is forecast at 3.17 t/ha, down from the 3.20 t/ha expected in April but up 8% on last year. The average grain maize yield is also slightly increased to 7.46 t/ha, up from 7.45 t/ha in May.

The EU sugar beet yield in 2025 is estimated at 76.3 t/ha, up from 77.9 t/ha last month.

MARS noted that sugar beet and potato crops in Germany are under pressure from the pest, which spreads stolbur and other bacterial diseases. Preliminary estimates indicate that a third of sugar beet areas could be affected, it said.

While drought is a problem in many regions, in northern Italy winter crops are showing clear signs of stress after an excessively wet spring, which is affecting field conditions and likely yields.

Tags: barley, EU, wheat, rapeseed, crop forecast