EU: Barley crop 2025 forecast up 0.2 mln tonnes

French winter barley ratings at 70% Good/Excellent are slightly better than 68% last year with dryness potentially a developing concern, RMI Analytics reported on March 20.

These dry conditions are advancing Europe’s spring planting, with French planting progress at 92% complete, well above the 5-year average of 70%. Note the heavy moisture in Spain.

Crop’25 production forecast is up 0.2 mln tonnes to 57.7 mln tonnes, while Russian crop’25 production rebounds to 18.5 mln tonnes, with Ukraine also up +0.2 to 5.7 mln tonnes.

Malting barley prices across Europe are in decline, as a good start to crop’25 boosts confidence for a reasonable harvest result. For crop’24, prices are sharply lower as demand remains dismal, both domestically from brewers and distillers, and in export channels. Idled malt capacities leave the supply chain long crop’24, with a need for a summer recovery, otherwise supply is expected to continue to outpace lower demand.