2009 World Wheat Plantings - Informa

Informa Economics projects the global wheat area in 2009 at 222.4 mln ha which is just 1.8 mln ha or 1% below the 224.2 mln ha planted this year.

The area in the EU is expected to fall to 26.3 (26.6) mln ha, in Russia to 25.5 (26.7) mln ha, in China to 22.5 (24.0) mln ha, in the USA to 21.4 (22.5) mln ha, in Kazakhstan to 13.1 (13.3) mln ha, and in Ukraine to 6.5 (7.0) mln ha.

In Australia, the area is expected to increase to 13.5 (13.0) mln ha and in Argentina where drought cut plantings this year to 5.3 (4.3) mln ha.

The wheat area in India should remain unchanged at 28.0 mln ha, they say.

The figures are a little higher than those released recently by the IGC who pegged world wheat plantings down 1.6% to 221.7 mln ha, with EU wheat plantings at 25.9 mln ha.