Finance
Expana lifts EU cereal forecasts, maize exceeds expectations
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Expana raises EU grain forecasts for 2025/26, with record highs for soft wheat and barley. Maize harvest exceeds expectations despite challenges.
PARIS (Reuters) -Expana has raised its monthly grain production forecast for European Union crops for the 2025/26 season, projecting soft wheat output will hit a record high and barley a 17-year high.
In its latest cereal forecasts, Expana increased its estimate for EU soft wheat production this season by 0.3 million metric tons from last month's forecast to 136.4 million tons, up 22.8 million tons from the rain-affected 2024/25 crop.
Barley output was also revised 0.2 million tons higher to 56.4 million tons, up 6.2 million tons year-on-year.
For maize, Expana raised its crop estimate by 0.8 million tons to 56.5 million tons, after the harvest turned out slightly better than previously expected, though the crop remains 2.5 million tons below last season and the second lowest since 2007.
As of early October, maize harvesting was well advanced in most European production zones except Poland, where crop development is around a month behind schedule.
"The contrast between a good maize harvest in the northern half of the EU and disastrous results in the southern half looks set to become even more pronounced than it was in 2024/25," Expana said.
Expana continues to expect that EU soft wheat exports will rebound sharply this season, but said the increase looks set to be held in check by fierce competition on international markets, especially from U.S., Australian and Argentinian origins.
"European exports, especially French exports, made a slow start to the new campaign. However, French exports have gained some momentum in recent weeks thanks to the better competitiveness of French wheat," it said.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide. Editing by Mark Potter)
Maize, also known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. It is a staple food in many countries and is used for food, animal feed, and industrial products.
Soft wheat is a type of wheat that is lower in protein and gluten compared to hard wheat. It is primarily used for making pastries, cakes, and other baked goods that require a softer texture.
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