A heatwave expected to spread across Europe this week is set to take a heavy toll on summer crops in the southeast, but is good news for farmers on the other side of the region after prolonged rains flooded fields and hampered plant growth.
Meteorologists forecast scorching temperatures in most parts of the European Union this week, just as record heat and dry weather are threatening crops in other major global growing regions, putting pressure on world supplies and pushing prices higher.
Summer crops in eastern Europe and the Balkans, mainly in the EU’s second-largest maize producer Romania, are most at risk from the heatwave, which is expected to continue for another week or two, according to analysts.
“We are approaching a critical stage. One week will already lead to a fall in output. If there are two weeks like that, there will be major damage and it could go very fast,” said Vincent Braak, an analyst at consultancy Strategie Grain.
In contrast, the expected warm and dry weather is welcome in the western part of the EU, where crops have suffered from excessive and prolonged rainfall since the autumn.
“The French farmers will be delighted. That’s what they have been expecting for a while to give their crops a boost,” Braak said. Hot and sunny weather will also be beneficial for crops in Germany, Denmark, and Poland.
The EU crop monitor MARS lowered its yield forecasts for this year’s crops in the EU on Monday, citing excess water in western Europe and dry weather in some southeastern countries.