The USDA has increased its wheat harvest estimate for the European Union, while the forecast for Ukraine remains stable

On June 12, the Council of the European Union recognized the equivalence of Ukrainian seed production standards for sugar beet, sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean with European requirements, the EU Council press service reported.

According to this decision, seeds of the specified crops produced in Ukraine will be allowed to enter the EU market. This means that companies based in the EU will be able to diversify their seed production areas. The new rules will also support the continuous supply of high-quality seeds to the EU.

“The decision grants equivalence to sugar beet, sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean seeds produced and certified in Ukraine, as well as forage crop seeds produced in the Republic of Moldova and officially certified by its authorities, including relevant field inspections. Equivalence confirms that the national procedures of both countries provide the same guarantees regarding seed characteristics and the rules of expertise, identification, and seed control as those applied to seeds collected in the EU,” the statement reads.

Moldova received a similar approval for forage crop seeds.

The decision will come into effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

The global wheat export forecast is 214.33 million tons (+1.34 million tons). Experts lowered the forecast for global ending wheat stocks to 262.76 million tons (-2.97 million tons).

The wheat harvest forecast for Ukraine remains unchanged at 23 million tons, with exports expected to be at 16.5 million tons, and ending stocks unchanged at 1.49 million tons.

The wheat harvest forecast for the USA remains unchanged at 52.28 million tons. The export estimate is 22.45 million tons (+0.68 million tons), and ending stocks are 24.45 million tons (-0.67 million tons).

USDA analysts forecast wheat production in China for the 2025/26 marketing year at 142 million tons, with imports estimated at 6 million tons, and ending stocks at 124.6 million tons (+0.7 million tons).

Tags: USA, China, sugar beet, harvest, Moldova, sunflower, seed, EU, standards, soybeans, Council of the European Union, ending stocks, Production, wheat, rapeseed, forecast, Ukraine