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The total production of cereals in the EU-27 is estimated as 287.6 million tons, with an increase by 5.6% with respect to the 2012 harvest, according to the preliminary forecasts of the cereal harvest in 2013 presented by the European Commission in the Management Committee of the Single Market Common Organization on 28th February 2013.
Bearing in mind the cereal harvest in Croatia (3.5 million tons, this is, about 1% of the EU-27 production), the total cereal production in the EU-28 would be 291.1 million tons. This increase should reduce the EU balance in comparison with the situation of the current season, especially for the supplies at the end of the season.
The total land surface allocated to the cultivation of cereals in the EU-27 in 2013 is expected to be 56.9 million hectares, an increase by 0.2% with respect to 2012. Bearing in mind the Croatian land surface allocated to the production of cereals (596,000 hectares, about 1% of the total EU-27 land surface assigned to the production of cereals), the total EU-28 land surface allocated to the production of cereals will be 57.5 million hectares.
The high prices in the world market since June 2012 have made the European farmers sow more wheat. The estimated yield is 5.1 tons per hectare for the whole of the EU (EU-27 and EU-28). With the exception of the United Kingdom, affected by the excessive rain, the conditions for the sowing of winter cereals were satisfactory.
Monday March 4, 2013/ European Commission/ European Union.
http://ec.europa.eu/
