PARIS: French grain maize output is on track to halve this year to 7 million metric tons, after lower sowings and record hot, dry weather ravaged crops, maize farmers’ group AGPM said on Tuesday.
That would be the lowest level since 1976 and compares to 13.7 million tons harvested last year, it said. “The worst has happened,” AGPM Chairman Franck Laborde told reporters, blaming the fall on climate change-driven heatwaves and France’s limits on water storage, which kept farmers from using water that could have been collected during an exceptionally rainy winter.
France has suffered one of its worst hot and dry spells on record, with record temperatures in most parts of the country between May and August damaging crops, pastures and water supplies. The crisis prompted the government to issue a €1.3 billion aid package, and pledge to expand agricultural water storage. But Laborde said further help was needed or many farmers would not sow grains ahead of next season. “Without immediate cash flow, there will be no next season,” he said.
The fall in maize output would cut the sector’s sales by €2.5 billion (USD2.8 billion), with a further impact on villages where agriculture is the main source of income, Laborde said.
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