France expects lowest wheat harvest in almost 40 years
The harvest of soft wheat in France this season is expected to come in at no more than 26.7 million tons. That would be the lowest level in almost 40 years, figures from the department of agriculture in Paris show. Agriculture markets specialist Argus Media is talking of the smallest harvest in 46 years.
The departments´ statistical office Agreste´s estimate of 26.7 million tons of soft wheat represents a decrease of 25% compared to last season. The figure is also 24% lower than the average over the preceding 5 years.
The caused if this low wheat production
The reason for this dramatic low wheat production is 2-fold: a historic low yield per hectare in combination with a much smaller area than in previous years. Agreste now puts the average yield for soft wheat at 6.24 ton per hectare, 15.5% less than in 2023 and significantly lower than its earlier estimates. That yield is still slightly higher than in the last disastrous year 2016, the agency says.
Heavy rains prevented planting
However, the area of soft wheat in France this summer is at a historic low level of 4.2 million hectares. Last autumn, many farmers all over the country couldn’t drill wheat or other grain crops because of the persistent heavy rain that went on for weeks on end. Those who managed to get some seed in so their work often destroyed because fields were flooded. “All together, this will lead to the lowest production of soft wheat of the last 40 years,” Agreste says.
Barley production
The production of barley in France is estimated at 10.4 million tons, 15.4% less than last season and 12.2% under the 5-year average. For winter barley, the decrease is 26% due to the same weather problems last autumn, but that is party compensated by a larger production of spring barley. Overall, the yield per hectare is estimated at 5.76 tons per hectare for winter barley and 5.6 tons per hectare for the spring crop.
We’ve lost 900,000 hectares compared to 2016, that is leading to a harvest which will probably be much worse than in that year.
Concern that harvest could be worse than that of 2016
The low estimates of the department of agriculture have been confirmed by the harvest experiences farmers all over France are reporting. Based on a survey in the first week of August, market specialist Argus Media lowered its estimate for the production of soft wheat to 25.17 million tons. “The yield is very low but still higher than in the catastrophic 2016 season. But the area is 10.5% lower at 4,243 million hectares. We’ve lost 900,000 hectares compared to 2016, that is leading to a harvest which will probably be much worse than in that year,” director Gautier Le Molgat of Argus Media France told agricultural magazine agri-mutuel.com
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