August 14, 2024

 

French agriculture ministry slashes 2024 soft wheat harvest estimate by 25%

The French agriculture ministry announced a significant reduction in its forecast for the country's 2024 soft wheat output, now projected to be 25% lower than last year's production, Reuters reported.

 

This would make it one of the poorest harvests in the past 40 years for the European Union's largest grain producer.

 

Persistent rainfall since autumn has delayed planting, hampered crop development, and led to increased crop disease, causing analysts to continually lower their estimates for France's grain harvest.

 

"As of August 1, 2024, cereal harvests are still underway, delayed by humidity and stormy episodes in July. Yields are revised downwards for all these crops," the ministry noted.

 

The ministry attributed the disappointing yields to exceptionally low planting areas, which were affected by the adverse weather conditions of winter 2023. The total area under cultivation for soft wheat in 2024 stands at 4.2 million hectares, a 10.8% decrease compared to 2023. This places the 2024 harvest among the three smallest soft wheat yields of the last 40 years.

 

A graphic accompanying the report indicated that the current harvest could be the lowest since 1986.

 

The ministry's estimate is still higher than those of French analysts, who project the crop at 25-26 million tonnes. Total cereal production in France for 2024 is now estimated at 54.8 million tonnes, about 10 million tonnes less than last year.

 

In contrast, spring crops have fared better, benefiting from the challenging sowing conditions for winter grains. The ministry's first forecast for grain corn production this year anticipates an output of 13.75 million tonnes, a 9% increase from the 12.62 million tonnes produced in 2023.

 

Barley production, however, is expected to decline. The total output is projected at 10.4 million tonnes, down from a previous estimate of 11.3 million tonnes and 15% below 2023 levels. Winter barley production is expected to fall by 26% to 7.2 million tonnes, while spring barley is forecast to rise by 25% to 3.2 million tonnes.

 

-      Reuters