France raises soft wheat crop estimate, sees bigger maize crop
Adds details throughout
PARIS, Aug 4 (Reuters) – France’s farm ministry on Friday raised its estimate of the country’s 2023 soft wheat production to 35.59 million metric tons, 5.6% above last year’s volume, from an initial projection of 35 million last month.
The increased production outlook reflected an upward revision to the expected soft wheat yield, pegged at 7.47 tons per hectare (t/ha) compared with 7.34 t/ha forecast in July.
Other forecasters also expect France, the European Union’s biggest grain exporter, to bring in a bigger wheat crop this year, though hot, dry weather since spring is thought to have capped yields and current wet weather is raising concern about the quality of later-harvested crop.
In a first forecast for this year’s production of grain maize, excluding crop grown for seeds, the ministry anticipated output of 10.89 million tons, up about 2% from 10.65 million in 2022.
An expected rebound in the yield to 8.99 t/ha from last year’s drought-affected 7.86 t/ha was seen outweighing a drop of around 10% in the crop area, the ministry said.
Projected production would nonetheless be 16% below the average of the past five years.
For rapeseed, France’s main oilseed crop, expected 2023 output was cut to 4.34 million metric tons from 4.64 million estimated in July, now 4% below the 2022 volume.
The ministry cited lower than expected yields in the harvest as it reduced its estimate of the national yield to 3.23 t/ha from 3.44 t/ha last month.
For sunflower seed, which like maize is harvested after summer, the ministry gave an initial production forecast of 1.98 million tons, up 11% from last year and the highest level this century.
For barley, expected 2023 output was revised up to 12.16 million tons from 11.9 million in July, reflecting an increased estimate for the winter barley crop, to put the harvest 6.5% above last year’s level.
Durum wheat production however was revised down to 1.26 million tons, a 25-year low, as the ministry trimmed both its area and yield estimates.
((gus.trompiz@thomsonreuters.com; +33 1 49 49 52 18; Reuters Messaging: gus.trompiz.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
