Rain-hit French cereal harvesting, sowing pick up slightly

PARIS: Maize harvesting and winter cereal sowing picked up slightly last week but remained well behind the usual pace after a wet start to autumn, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday. Farmers had harvested 25% of this year’s grain maize crop by Oct. 21, up from 14% a week earlier and 6% two weeks ago, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal crop report.

But the harvest progress was down from 82% a year ago and an average 69% for the period in the past five years, the office said. After France’s wettest September in 25 years, downpours in October have kept many fields waterlogged.

Torrential rain last week caused flooding in southern France but precipitation was less intense in other regions and most of the country is expected to see a drier end to October. However, the state of maize crops still to be harvested fell last week, with 75% rated as in good or excellent condition versus 78% a week earlier and 83% a year ago.