France’s agricultural ministry has announced that the area dedicated to the main wheat crop is set to increase for the upcoming harvest, following a dry end to autumn that prevented a repeat of the rain-affected sowing experienced last year. However, the total area planted will still be below the average of recent years.
Key Highlights:
Wheat Area Forecast:
Farmers are projected to sow 4.51 million hectares of winter soft wheat for the next harvest, representing an 8.7% increase compared to this year’s area. Despite this rebound, it remains 0.8% lower than the five-year average.
The ministry noted, “It is seeing a rebound of about 9% after the very weak 2024 campaign but is still at a low level with respect to the last 30 years.”
Weather Impact:
A lack of rainfall and mild temperatures last month allowed farmers to recover from previous delays caused by wet conditions. Last autumn’s waterlogged fields led to the smallest wheat harvest since the 1980s in 2024.
Crop Conditions:
As soft wheat sowing nears completion, the overall condition of the emerged crops is better than last year but not as favorable as in previous years.
Other Crop Projections:
Winter Barley: Projected area is estimated at 1.23 million hectares, down 0.8%.
Winter Rapeseed: Expected to increase slightly to 1.34 million hectares, up 0.6%. Generally, rapeseed crops are well-established, while the condition of winter barley is only marginally improved compared to last year.
Durum Wheat: The area sown with winter durum wheat is expected to be 206,000 hectares, a decline of 1.9% from this year’s harvest, marking the lowest level in 30 years.
Grain Maize and Sugar Beet:
For the 2024 harvest, the ministry has raised its forecast for grain maize production to 15.00 million metric tons, up from 14.62 million projected last month, reflecting a 15.5% increase over last year due to higher planting rates.
Conversely, sugar beet production estimates have been revised down to 32.40 million tons from 33.73 million, still representing a 2.2% increase over last year. This reduction is attributed to poor sugar content resulting from adverse weather and disease, aligning the estimate with that of the sugar beet growers’ union.