The maize season will end on June 30, 2005, with carry-over stock levels too high, possibly reaching 3 million tonnes.

 This shows just how difficult it has been to sell throughout the season where demand for maize has fallen short of supply, even though prices remained close to the intervention price.  With the crop in Hungary, the expansion of the European Union to 25 countries has seen the maize market in a situation of structural surplus.  The Commission had not granted requests for maize exports, either from the free market or from Hungarian intervention stocks, and it is now urgent for the Commission to extend the intervention period beyond May 31, the official closing date, so as to avoid serious disturbances on the market within the next few weeks.  It is particularly urgent as the extremely slow rate of exports has seen wheat pushed towards intervention, making the market even more unmanageable.  In this context, by maintaining maize intervention over the connecting period, regular supplies could be kept up to the market, while waiting for the new crop.
  
Contacts : 
AGPB - Pascal Hurbault :  01 44 31 16 25
AGPM - Béatrice Guenebeaud : 01 47 23 48 32
FFCAT- Yves Boulay :  01 53 00 90 00