A persistent water shortfall in central and north-eastern Europe in recent weeks does not raise immediate concern for grain crops, but rain would be welcome to replenish reserves, EU crop monitoring unit MARS said on Monday. Southern Germany, southern Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries have received less than 10 millimetres (0.4 inch) of rain between January 1 and February 15, it said.
"Rain would be welcomed in these regions to restore soil water reserves and groundwater as spring approaches. So far, these dry conditions do generally not present an immediate concern for crops," MARS said in a monthly report. Central and north-eastern Europe should receive some of the awaited rainfall this week with four to five days of significant precipitation expected in these regions over the February 17-25 period, it said.
Germany is the EU's second largest grain exporter while the Baltic states have increased their market share on the grain export market in recent years. Frost damage remained limited in Europe although some was recorded in Germany, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, southern Russia, Sweden and Denmark, MARS said.
The first half of January was among the coldest in MARS' records dating from 1975 in south-eastern Europe, Hungary and Slovakia, the unit said last month. It noted that in the central and north-eastern parts of Ukraine persistent thick snow cover, sealed by ice crust in some places, could lead to respiration problems for underlying crops.