EU: EU grain intervention stocks are 18.5 million tonnes

EU grain intervention stocks are 18.5 million tonnes, of which 7 million tonnes in Hungary and 6 million tonnes in Germany. Sales and offers to intervention of new crop grains included 3.7 million tonnes in Hungary, 1.3 million tonnes in Germany and 1.9 million tonnes combined in Poland, Czech and Slovakia.

Intervention had been abolished for rye, which was grown in much larger quantities than needed. But since the expansion of the EU another problem became obvious: a common intervention price for wheat, barley and maize irrespective of distances from growing regions to domestic markets and seaports is unrealistic and had to lead to massive intervention in Central Eastern Europe, especially Hungary. The problem will aggravate with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.