Wheat harvesting is ending in major European producers Germany and Poland, with crop results looking better than bad harvests gathered in France and Britain.
French consultancy Strategie Grains forecasts this year's soft wheat harvest in the European Union and Britain at 128 million tonnes, 13% down on 2019.
In France, the EU's largest wheat producer, the crop has fallen by about 25% on 2019 to around 29-30 million tonnes, with yields damaged by spring drought and sowings reduced by torrential autumn rain.
Strategie Grains said a dramatic drop in area in western France and mixed yields across the country outweighed more reasonable yields in parts of northern and eastern France.
But French wheat quality was looking good.
In the EU's second largest producer Germany, the crop will fall 6.8% on the year but will still reach a decent 21.48 million tonnes, farming cooperatives estimated.
"Harvesting in Germany is largely finished," one German analyst said. "We have a crop in the normal size range with reasonable quality, Germany has not suffered the harvest disasters seen in France and Britain."
In the third largest producer Poland, the crop will rise 5% on 2019 to 11.75 million tones, Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska estimated.
"Thanks to the very favourable weather, the wheat harvest in the country has significantly accelerated in recent days," Sabaranski said. "In the south, west and east, wheat is about 80-90% cut. Traditionally, in north Poland, work is less advanced with about 65-70% harvested."
"In many regions, the quality parameters of this year's wheat are quite decent. Most wheat meets milling criteria."
'Traders Estimates'
Traders estimate this year's British wheat crop will fall about 35% on 2019 to around 10.0 million to 10.5 million tonnes after plantings were cut.
Britain's wheat harvest was 47% complete on Tuesday, following rapid progress during the preceding fortnight, said the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
"Most regions had begun harvesting winter wheat with conditions mostly favourable," the board said.
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