Brussels, 26/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates by COPA and COGECA (Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union and General Committee of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU), published on Friday, with a harvest of around 186 million tonnes this year, the EU loses over 23 million tonnes compared to the previous harvest, which represents a fall of over 10%. Falls mainly affect soft wheat (down 11%) and maize (down 21%). The Member States most heavily hit in terms of volume are Germany, Italy and France, but there are also "dramatic losses" recorded in other countries like Portugal. COPA-GOGECA specifies that over ¾ of the falls in the volume of soft wheat and around 55% of the falls for maize are due to drought in France. It notes the regular and considerable decrease in surface area and production of rye, mainly in Germany.