EU & UK: Core EU malting barley producers and the UK to have about 900 thousand tonnes of exportable surplus this year

The core EU malting barley producing nations (France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden) and UK’s total malting barley production this year is forecast at 15.52 mln tonnes, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported earlier in March.

Among the EU nations, France is expected to produce the biggest crop, as usual, forecast at 4.1 mln tonnes. Denmark is forecast to harvest 3.4 mln tonnes of malting barley and Germany – 1.9 mln tonnes. The UK’s malting barley output is forecast at 4.5 mln tonnes.

Total malting barley demand in these EU countries + the UK is expected to amount to 6.425 mln tonnes, leaving an exportable surplus of about 900,000 tonnes.

Among the above mentioned EU nations, the highest malting barley demand is forecast for Germany (2.1 mln tonnes), followed by France (at 950 thousand tonnes), and Belgium (725 thousand tonnes). In the UK, malting barley demand is forecast at 1.7 mln tonnes.

All other EU countries regions are almost self-sufficient in malting barley, the Gauger analysts said. Distances and freight cost from the EU surplus countries make purchases from the central block uneconomic. Nevertheless small deliveries, e.g. to Poland, Spain,
Portugal happen regularly every year.

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