BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — European Union soft wheat exports are up 9% year-on-year with two months left in the 2022-23 marketing year, according to European Commission data.

Through April 30, soft wheat shipments had totaled 25.67 million tonnes, compared with 23.46 million tonnes in 2021-22, the data showed.

The European Commission data also showed a 21% decrease in EU barley exports thus far in 2022-23 at 5.27 million tonnes, compared with 6.72 the previous season.

After a drought in 2022 curtailed wheat production in some parts of the EU, a bigger crop is expected in 2023-24 due to improved weather conditions, according to a report by Reuters, citing data from Strategie Grains. Soft wheat output from the coming year is expected to reach 129.7 million tonnes, the report said, up from this year’s estimated crop of 125.5 million tonnes.

The EU challenges China each year for the distinction of largest wheat producer with each typically producing more than 130 million tonnes per year. The EU, in recent years, has ranked second to Russia in wheat exports.