French growers see grain maize crop rebounding above average
PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Good growing conditions will push this year’s grain maize crop in France, the European Union’s largest producer, above the five-year average despite farmers turning away from the grain after a poor 2022 harvest, growers group AGPM said on Wednesday.
In a first estimate, done in collaboration with technical institute Arvalis, AGPM forecast that the French 2023 grain maize crop, excluding crops grown for seeds, would rise to at least 13.1 million metric tons, up about 23% on last year’s drought-hit crop, and above the average of 13 million tonnes.
A sharp rise in yields to 10.1 tons per hectare (t/ha) against 7.83 t/ha recorded last year when the harvest was severely hurt by drought, more than compensated for a 10% drop in yields, they said.
“This campaign went very well even though there were some concerns after delayed plantings and fears of water restrictions. In the end, we have many good surprises,” Arvalis Director Franck Wiacek told reporters.
The maize harvest is in full swing in France.
“Based on what farmers are telling us for the moment, yields are better than expected. In my opinion, we will end slightly above our forecast,” he said.
These estimates were already much higher than the ones released by the farm ministrylast week, which had pegged the grain maize crop at 11.78 million tons, based on a yield of 9.57 t/ha.
AGPM and Arvalis expected that at least 60,400 hectares of maize initially due to be harvested as fodder maize would be transferred to grain maize.
“That’s a protective number. There could be a more significant share if farmers realise they have enough maize for their own use,” Wiacek said.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by David Gregorio and Louise Heavens)
((Sybille.deLaHamaide@thomsonreuters.com; +336 8774 4148;))
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