Exports of soft wheat from the European Union (EU) have significantly declined in the 2024/25 season, with figures showing a 30% decrease compared to the previous year. As of November 10, total soft wheat exports reached 8.34 million metric tons, down from 11.96 million tons during the same period last year, according to data released by the European Commission.
Barley Exports Decline:
EU barley exports also faced a substantial drop, totaling 1.77 million tons, which represents a 40% decrease from 2.83 million tons in the corresponding period of 2023/24.
Impact of Harvest Setbacks:
The decline in exports has been attributed to adverse harvest conditions, including heavy rainfall in western Europe. This has contributed to a 12-year low in EU soft wheat production and has kept barley output near a 12-year low for the 2023 season.
Incomplete Data Concerns:
The European Commission noted that grain export data for Italy has been incomplete for the past six weeks. Additionally, data for France has been lacking since the beginning of 2024, while Bulgaria and Ireland have not reported complete data since the start of the 2023/24 marketing year.
Top Exporters:
A breakdown of the current season’s export volumes indicates that Romania is leading as the top EU soft wheat exporter, with 2.49 million tons shipped so far. Lithuania follows with 1.12 million tons, and Latvia at 1.04 million tons.
France, typically the largest EU wheat exporter, has only managed to export 0.90 million tons this season due to its smallest crop since the 1980s. Poland and Germany follow with 0.79 million tons and 0.77 million tons, respectively.