May 8, 2012

France's 2012 spring barley area estimates up at 866,000 hectares

Estimates for the 2012 spring barley area have been raised on Monday (May 7) by France's agriculture ministry to a record level of 866,000 hectares, up from 825,000 hectares pegged in April, 77% above the area sown for the 2011 harvest.

The total barley area, including winter barley, is now estimated at 1.78 million hectares, against 1.75 million seen last month and up 15.4% on 2011-12.

Corn sowings, which were 53% completed by May 1, should gain 4.5% this season to 1.67 million hectares, the ministry said in its first estimate.

Extreme winter weather affected much of Europe in February, and crop damage prompted many farmers to re-sow their land with spring crops such as spring barley and corn.

The ministry cut its estimate for the rapeseed area to 1.54 million hectares, against 1.58 million seen in April and now down 1% on 2011. It kept its estimate for the soft wheat area virtually unchanged at 4.72 million hectares, down 5.3% from 2011-12.

Dry conditions in early spring and recent rainfall had raised concern of further damage to the French wheat crop, already hit by winterkill.

The 2012 sugar beet area was nearly unchanged at 397,000 hectares, against 396,000 hectares estimated last month, up 0.9% on 2011-12.

Apart from corn, most grain sowings in France were now almost complete, the ministry said.