May 8, 2013

France's rapeseed acreage forecast down 8% on-year

After farmers dug up some crops that had suffered from heavy rain, the French farm ministry cut its estimate of the area sown with rapeseed for this year's harvest.

Analysts have been expecting the fall in area to cost France its place as the EU's top rapeseed producer this year, with Germany forecast to regain the leading position after enjoying more favourable growing conditions.

The rapeseed area in France is now estimated at 1.48 million hectares, down from 1.52 million seen last month and now 8% lower than the 2012 level, the farm ministry said.

The Centre region, Poitou-Charentes in the west and Lorraine in the northeast accounted for 90% of a decrease of about 128,000 hectares compared with last year, it said.

"Due to the heavy rain during winter, rapeseed in these zones experienced difficulties in plants establishing themselves and emerging, leading in some cases to plots being dug up," the ministry said in a monthly crop report.

Like other oilseed crops, rapeseed is used to produce edible oil, alternative fuel biodiesel and livestock feed.

In a first estimate for this year's French grain corn crop, the farm ministry put the area at 1.64 million hectares, down 0.4% from last year but up 0.8% from the average of the past five years.

As of May 1, 46% of the projected area had been sown, down from 54% a year earlier, it said. Cold weather in late March and early April delayed sowing of spring crops like corn and spring barley in Europe, although warmer conditions since have allowed field work to accelerate.

Farm office FranceAgriMer said in a weekly update that 57% of grain corn had been sown as of April 29, up from 29% the prior week and close to 60% a year ago. For soft wheat, the farm ministry raised its estimate to 4.98 million hectares from 4.97 million last month, leaving the area up 2.4% on-year.