Expana Reduces EU Maize Crop Forecast Amid Severe Heatwave Impact
Expana, a commodity data firm, has significantly lowered its forecast for the European Union's maize harvest for the 2026/27 season due to adverse weather conditions. The firm cut its maize production estimate by 4.6 million metric tons, bringing the total to 49.1 million tons, which is a 13.9% decrease from the previous season. The reduction is attributed to hot and dry conditions that have severely affected crop prospects in France and other key producing regions such as Germany, Benelux, Central Europe, and Poland. The current forecast places the EU maize output 19% below its five-year average, nearing the poor harvest levels of 2007/08 and 2003/04. While Romania and Bulgaria are expected to achieve satisfactory yields, the overall outlook remains bleak. Additionally, Expana has also reduced its soft wheat production forecast by 1.5 million tons to 126.8 million tons, citing disappointing yields in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Benelux, and Germany.