AGRICULTURE FORECASTS
Southern Europe’s maize crop to offset the north’s drought
Paris — Favourable prospects for maize in southern Europe could help offset damage from drought and heatwaves further north, but the EU is still expected to import a record amount to feed livestock following a poor wheat harvest, analysts said. Widely followed analysts Stratégie Grains on Thursday increased slightly their EU grain maize crop forecast, as upgrades for countries such as Romania balanced cuts in Germany or France. More southerly regions have mostly avoided the prolonged heat and drought that have hit the north, as damage from heavy rains has been limited. "Torrential rains over the past few weeks haven’t impacted maize crops so badly as in the case of wheat," a grain trader in Romania said, citing potential for bumper maize yields. In Hungary, rainfall had also boosted yield prospects although crop conditions varied widely between regions, a government official said. "In areas with abundant rainfall in June-July, crop prospects are good. However, in regions with less r...
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