French wheat crop stable for second week after punishing spring

PARIS: The condition of France's soft wheat crop has been stable for two weeks in a row, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday, suggesting recent rain and cooler temperatures have brought some relief after a parched spring.

For the week ending June 8, 56pc of soft wheat crops were rated good or excellent, unchanged from the previous two weeks, the data showed.

Nevertheless, the rating was well below a score of 80pc a year ago and is the lowest since 2011, when there was also a spring drought.

FranceAgriMer's weekly cereal report does not give reasons for changes in ratings though the office said earlier this week that a shift in the weather this month should help crops.

"It's reassuring that some regions have got some moisture and we're fortunate in that the month of June is looking rather cool," Benoit Pietrement, a farmer and head of FranceAgriMer's cereal committee, told reporters.

France experienced its second-hottest spring on record this year after 2011, with rainfall in some regions half the average, according to public weather service Meteo France.

The dry spring coming after a very wet autumn that hit wheat sowing has led analysts to forecast a sharp drop in the wheat harvest this summer after a bumper 2019, crop.

FranceAgriMer's good or excellent score for winter barley was also stable for a second week at 52pc.

The office did not indicate any harvesting of winter barley.

Traders reported last week that some fields had been cut in southern France but rain is thought to have prevented significant volumes being reaped so far.

The rating for spring barley fell to 54pc from 55pc.

The scores for winter and spring barley were also both at their lowest since 2011.

For grain maize, 83pc of crops were rated good or excellent down from 85pc in the previous week.