PARIS: The condition of major cereal crops in France worsened last week during a record-breaking heatwave in the European Union’s largest grain producer, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday. France and other parts of Western Europe experienced an unprecedented heatwave in late May.
For soft wheat, France’s most-produced cereal, 76 percent of crops were in good or excellent condition by June 1, down from 78percent a week earlier, though above a year-earlier score of 69percent, FranceAgriMer said in a weekly report. Conditions deteriorated more sharply for other cereals, notably spring barley for which the good/excellent score dropped to 68percent from 83percent a week earlier, slipping below a year-earlier level of 73percent.
Durum wheat ratings fell to 65percent good/excellent from 71percent, also below a year-earlier 73 percent. The winter barley good/excellent score dropped to 73 percent from 76 percent the previous week but held above a year-earlier 64percent.
In maize, the good/excellent rating dropped to 84percent from 88percent the prior week, now slightly below a year-ago score of 85percent. Ratings for all cereals except winter barley had already declined in the previous week as the heatwave started.
The hot spell broke last weekend and was followed by a sharp drop in temperatures accompanied by showers. The milder weather has contributed to a fall in grain prices this week, with traders anticipating that yield losses from the heatwave may be limited.
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