HAMBURG - Germany's association of farm cooperatives on Thursday raised its 2015 wheat crop forecast to 25.70 million tons from 25.43 million forecast in July although that would still be down 7.5 percent on the year.
It trimmed its forecast for Germany's grain maize (corn) harvest to 3.91 million tons from 4.64 million tons forecast in July, which would be down 23.9 percent on the year.
It raised its forecast for Germany's 2015 winter rapeseed crop by 100,000 tons to 4.91 million tons, which would be a fall of 21.3 percent on the year.
Germany is the European Union's second largest wheat producer after France. Most years it is the EU's largest producer of rapeseed, the EU's main oilseed for edible oil and biodiesel production.
Hot and dry weather has caused concern about damage to maize crops in several European countries.
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The German wheat crop forecast was increased after results from this year's harvest exceeded expectations in both size and quality, the association said.
Harvesting is complete in west and south Germany but continues in other regions, it said.
Maize appears to have suffered considerably from current high temperatures coupled with lack of rain in parts of the country, it said.
Rapeseed is showing average oil content, it said.
Germany's crop of winter barley, used for animal feed, will fall 3.7 percent on the year to 9.14 million tons, it said.
The spring barley crop, used for beer and malt production, will fall 1.4 percent to 2.03 million tons.
