French maize conditions stable

PARIS: Ratings of French maize indicated that 76% of the crop was in good or excellent condition by Aug. 19, stable from the previous week but down from 82% a year earlier, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday.

Harvesting of soft wheat, France’s main cereal crop, was finished after being 98% complete a week earlier, the office said in a cereal report.

The spring barley harvest also ended last week after being 91% complete the previous week. The soft wheat and spring barley harvests were both eight days behind the average pace of the past five years, FranceAgriMer added.

Heavy rain that slowed field work is also expected to have hit wheat and barley production, with the soft wheat crop estimated at its smallest volume since the 1980s. The wet weather, however, should benefit maize crops that are harvested during autumn.