Cereals in Europe: global demand, environmental restrictions, and technologies to sustain productivity

The European cereal sector plays a strategic role within the global agri-food system. Although it represents barely 6.6% of the world's area dedicated to cereal cultivation, the European Union maintains significant weight in international trade, especially in soft wheat, barley and durum wheat, three crops that underpin internal supply flows and market balance.

Juan Vilar, an expert in economics, international agronomic analyst, strategic consultant, professor at the University of Jaén, and farmer, helps us review the cereal sector in Europe in this article.

In a context marked by growing global demand, rising production costs, increasing climate volatility, and a progressively stricter regulatory framework, European cereal production is going through a phase of structural adjustment, Vilar explains, and this is where efficiency and sustainability become decisive criteria for future competitiveness.

Configuration of the European cereal market: a decade of structural adjustments

Of the 5.1 billion hectares of agricultural land worldwide, cereals occupy around 15% (approximately 750 million hectares). In Europe, the 50 million hectares dedicated to these crops have shown a downward trend since 2014.

Production trends and determining factors

The historic record of over 300 million tonnes in 2014 has given way to approximately 258 million tonnes estimated for 2024, the lowest figure in ten years.

The reduction in cultivated area (a –9.5%, equivalent to 5.2 million hectares) is the first factor explaining this contraction. The second factor is growing exposure to climate risk, reflected in these points:

• Years with sharp yield drops due to severe drought or heat waves
• Partial recoveries in campaigns with more favorable conditions
• Growing regional variability: the north-south gradient intensifies

Productive leadership and geographical concentration

Beyond the total volume, European productive geography shows a marked concentration that is decisive for understanding the sector's dynamics. The capacity to respond to demand variations, storage policies, and the stability of trade flows largely depend on how this production is distributed among EU member states.

Five countries account for more than 50% of total volume: France leads with approximately 20% (around 54 million tonnes), followed by Germany with 15%, Poland with 13%, Spain with 8%, and Romania with 7%.

This distribution reveals two parallel realities: on one hand, Europe maintains scale, particularly in wheat; on the other, excess capacity has been adjusted, increasing the market's sensitivity to climate or geopolitical shocks.

Environmental restrictions: regulatory pressure on nitrogen and resource use efficiency

Furthermore, Vilar notes in his analysis, European cereal productivity is increasingly conditioned by the regulatory framework. Thus, the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) establishes strict limits—170 kg N/ha/year in vulnerable zones—that directly affect fertilisation planning.

This is complemented by the Farm to Fork Strategy, which sets a minimum 20% reduction in fertiliser use by 2030, supported by:

• Precision agriculture
• Greater traceability
• Diversified rotations
• Improvement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)

These policies not only raise compliance requirements but also drive the production model toward low-input, high-efficiency systems, where relying solely on increased fertiliser application no longer constitutes a sustainable way to maintain yields, the expert emphasizes in his overview of the sector.
 

Innovation and efficiency: the growing role of biostimulants in extensive crops

Agricultural biostimulants are becoming one of the key technologies to sustain cereal productivity under nitrogen limitations and abiotic stress.

Among their main benefits are increased nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), improved root development and plant metabolism, greater tolerance to drought, heat stress, and water variability, as well as more stable yields in limited input scenarios.

The European market grows at a rate of 10-12% annually, driven by the regulatory consolidation of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009, which harmonizes quality and safety requirements for biostimulants.

How to sustain cereal productivity without compromising sustainability?

Faced with this situation, innovation becomes decisive. Biostimulants stand out as specific tools for extensive cultivation systems, capable of improving nutrient uptake and optimising cereal development.

This is the case with Terra-Sorb® granum, a product indicated for application in extensive crops (grasses, legumes, oilseeds) that stands out for its capacity to:

• Optimise nitrogen assimilation, even when applied units are lower
• Increase the crop's physiological resilience under stress scenarios
• Help maintain or increase yield without increasing environmental impact

The formulation of Terra-Sorb® granum makes it particularly effective in winter cereals—wheat, barley, and oats—where thermal stress windows and nitrogen availability in the early stages largely determine final yield potential.

Toward a more resilient, efficient, and regulated European cereal model

In summary, as international agronomic analyst Juan Vilar details, cereal production in Europe is undergoing a structural transformation determined by the reduction in cultivated area, high climate vulnerability, reductions in nitrogen inputs mandated by regulation, the need for greater efficiency and traceability, and the growing global demand for stable and sustainable grain.

In this environment, the adoption of technologies such as biostimulants is not simply a complement, but a strategic lever to maintain productivity, reduce costs per hectare, comply with regulations, improve year-to-year stability, and differentiate in markets that demand verifiable sustainability.

The new European cereal agriculture, Vilar concludes, is oriented toward greener, more precise, and technologically integrated systems, where competitiveness will depend not only on yield but also on producers' ability to manage resources with maximum efficiency.