French soft wheat crop forecast to shrink 15% after poor weather

France's soft wheat production is projected to decrease by 15.4% to 29.7 million metric tons due to wet weather and delayed planting, marking the lowest production since 2020. The expected yield is 0.48 t/ha lower than last year, and the harvested area is also expected to decrease. Other crops such as total barley, winter barley, spring barley, durum wheat, and rapeseed are also expected to see a decrease in production. However, the ministry has increased its 2024 estimate for maize and sugar beet sown areas.

French soft wheat production is expected to fall by 15.4% to 29.7 million metric tons this year, the lowest level since 2020, the country’s farm ministry forecast on Tuesday. The ministry’s first projection for this year’s soft wheat crop was based on an expected yield of 6.99 tons per hectare (t/ha), against 7.38 t/ha last year, and an estimated harvested area of 4.24 million hectares, compared with 4.75 million in 2023. Wet weather and soggy fields since the autumn have delayed planting, hurt plant development and increased crop disease in the European Union’s largest grain-producing country, prompting observers to make repeated cuts to grain crop estimates. The ministry’s projection for the soft wheat yield was above the 6.4 t/ha forecast by crop institute Arvalis and grain industry association Intercereales last week. Total barley production was pegged by the ministry at 11.29 million tons, down 8% from last year. Winter barley production was forecast at 8.02 million tons, ...