USDA projects a drop in grain production in the European Union in the 2026/27 crop year.

THE European Union (EU) It is expected to harvest 266.340 million tons of grains in the 2026/27 crop year, according to a survey by the attaché of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Madrid. The volume is lower than both the official USDA estimate of 271.435 million tons and the production of 289.185 million tons recorded in the 2025/26 season. The area planted with grains in the bloc is expected to total 48.6 million hectares, below the 49.3 million hectares cultivated in the previous crop. According to the report, the harvested area has shown a downward trend in the last five years, with the exception of a slight recovery estimated for 2025/26. According to the USDAEuropean producers face a challenging scenario. Winter crops have been hampered by high input costs, especially fertilizers, while spring crops have suffered from heat waves and drought this season. On the demand side, grain consumption for feed is projected at 159 million tons in the 2026/27 marketing year, down from the 161 million tons estimated for 2025/26. The decline reflects reduced margins in intensive livestock production due to rising animal feed costs. With lower domestic production, the European Union is expected to increase its grain imports from 26.5 million tons in 2025/26 to 28.4 million tons in 2026/27. According to the report, this need will be driven mainly by the sharp reduction in production in France and Hungary. In this scenario, the bloc is expected to increase its corn purchases from Ukraine, the United States, Brazil, and Canada to meet domestic demand. Conversely, total grain exports from the European Union are expected to fall from 43.1 million to 40.7 million tons in the next marketing year, reflecting lower product availability, especially due to decreased production in France and, to a lesser extent, in Poland.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.