The condition of French soft wheat declined slightly last week, remaining at a four-year low, while maize planting slowed, according to data from the French farm office FranceAgriMer. This comes as rain returned to crop belts, reversing the warm, sunny spell that had helped crops and soil dry out after a damp growing season.
As of May 20, 63% of French soft wheat was rated in good or excellent condition, down from 64% a week earlier and significantly lower than the 93% rating a year ago. This is the lowest rating for this time of year since 2020, when French wheat crops were also affected by heavy rain during planting, FranceAgriMer said.
The rating for durum wheat, used in pasta, also fell, from 66% to 64%. For barley, the winter barley rating remained unchanged at 66%, while the spring barley score declined from 74% to 73%.
The return of unsettled, rainy weather has raised concerns that the persisting wet conditions may damage maturing wheat and barley crops, while also slowing the progress of maize planting. As of May 20, farmers had sown 78% of the expected maize area, compared to 73% a week earlier. This is well behind the year-earlier progress of 93% and the five-year average of 96% for this time of year.
Two weeks ago, maize planting had progressed by 18 percentage points, but the recent rainy weather has significantly slowed the pace of sowing. The wet conditions could potentially affect the development and yield of the maize crop if the delays in planting continue.
The decline in French wheat conditions and the slowdown in maize sowing highlight the challenges that the country’s grain producers are facing due to the return of wet weather, which could potentially impact the overall grain production in the European Union’s largest producer.