June 6, 2022

 

France wheat crop declines for fifth consecutive week

 

 

Data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed the state of France's soft wheat crop has deteriorated for the fifth week in a row, as dryness persists in the European Union's largest grain producer, Reuters reported.

 

In the week ending May 30, FranceAgriMer said that 67% of the soft wheat crop was in good or excellent condition, down from 69% the previous week.

 

In May, the rating dropped by more than 20 points as a hot spell exacerbated drought caused by low rainfall since the beginning of the year.

 

Last week, however, the decline in conditions was less than in the previous three weeks, indicating that showers and cooler temperatures provided some relief to crops.

 

According to FranceAgriMer, the latest soft wheat rating is down from an 80% rating a year ago.

 

Harvest prospects in France are being closely monitored in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has disrupted Ukrainian grain supplies.

 

Traders and analysts said the drought has harmed French crops in areas with shallow soil, but the situation is much better in areas with deep soil that have received some rain. find out more

 

Data from FranceAgriMer confirmed the regional differences. Only 43% of the soft wheat crop in the Centre-Val de Loire region south of Paris was rated good/excellent, compared to 71% in the Hauts-de-France, another important production zone in the far north.

 

Traders believe that the unsettled weather, which is expected to bring showers by the end of the week, will benefit crops.

 

Crop conditions in France for barley and durum wheat have also deteriorated.

 

According to FranceAgriMer's data, spring barley experienced the steepest weekly drop, with the good/excellent score dropping 7 percentage points to 54%.

 

The good/excellent rating for recently sown maize crops remained at 91%, unchanged from the previous week.

 

-      Reuters