Europe: Spring barley harvest continues to face disruptions from persistent rain

The remaining spring barley harvest continues to face disruptions from persistent and substantial rain in the EU, RMI Analytics said in their latest report.

France harvest is virtually complete but the UK, Germany and eastern Europe are running into delays due to rain. So far, reported quality from sporadic harvest results is still generally positive, with little quality degradation reported. This is evidence of the strong performance of current varieties. RMI Analytics’ production forecast for EU barley is down 0.1 mln tonnes to 60.1 mln tonnes.

Russia has a very wide range of yields, from southern regions achieving below average yields while more northerly and eastern districts report above average yields. There is a risk of quality and yield deterioration for rain delayed crops. RMI’s Russian barley crop forecast is reduced by 0.3 mln tonnes to 17.5 mln tonnes, while Ukraine production is steady at 4.7 mln tonnes.

The clearing forecast should allow harvest to advance rapidly, and provide certainty of final yield and quality attainment, the analysts said.