A cold start to the year may have damaged some grain fields in northern Europe while dryness is straining some crops in the south, adding to harvest risks after heavy rain in the northwest of the region, the European Union's crop monitoring service said.
A steep fall in temperatures is expected to have caused some losses in Denmark where fields had been waterlogged, while frost damage was also likely in the Baltic states, the MARS service said in a monthly report issued on Monday.
Dryness was persisting in parts of the Mediterranean rim, with particular concern over the development of durum wheat in Sicily and southern Spain, it said.
Parts of northwest Europe continued to endure soggy conditions, with sowing work further delayed in the Benelux countries, MARS said, adding that colder weather nonetheless helped some farmers by hardening soils.
The MARS report did not mention France, however, as a particular risk area. The EU's biggest grain producer has faced torrential rain in some northern and western belts that are expected to reduce winter grain planting.
Source - https://www.xm.com
