European Union agricultural and grain trade trends

European Union grain trade patterns show a trend of increasing exports despite fluctuations in import values. For the 2026/27 marketing season, soft wheat exports reached 6.30 million metric tons as of September 20, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. Romania has emerged as the bloc’s largest exporter, with figures rising from 2.93 million tons in earlier reports to 3.68 million tonnes by late October. Other significant contributors include Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, and Germany.

The European Commission noted that data completeness is hindered by reporting omissions from several member states. Specifically, export data for France has been incomplete since early 2024, while figures for Bulgaria and Ireland have been missing since the 2023/24 season, and Greek data has been unavailable since January 2026.

While the value of grain imports into the EU fell by 11 percent during the first seven months of 2026, agricultural and food exports remained robust. Notably, exports to Egypt rose by 22 percent, driven by wheat, while exports to Ukraine and Turkey increased by 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

In contrast to wheat trends, maize (corn) imports have seen significant growth. Recent data indicates a 40 percent annual increase in EU corn imports since July 1, driven by a projected weak EU harvest due to drought. This surge includes a tripling of imports from the United States and a near doubling of deliveries from Ukraine, while Brazil’s market share in the EU corn sector has declined.