France sees sugar beet area falling 6 pct this year

PARIS:* France's farm ministry in its first estimate of the 2019 sugar beet area pegged sowings at 455,000 hectares, down 6.3 pct vs 2018.

* In a crop sowing report on Tuesday, the ministry estimated the 2019 soft wheat area including spring wheat at 5.01 million hectares (mln ha), up 2.8 pct vs 2018.

* It estimated the all-barley area at 1.9 mln ha, up 7.7 pct vs 2018, including 569,000 ha of spring barley, up 17.4 pct.

* The 2019 rapeseed area including spring crop was estimated at 1.32 mln ha, down 18.5 pct vs 2018.