France exported 1.4 million tonnes of soft wheat in January, bringing the total since the start of the 2009/10 season on July 1 to 9.0 million tonnes, French customs data showed on Monday. The wheat exports continued to run behind 2008/09 levels, showing a 6 percent decline versus the same period last season.
French wheat exports outside the European Union reached 5.2 million tonnes in the July-January period, down 9 percent year-on-year. Exports within the 27-member bloc were stable year-on-year at 3.8 million tonnes. Algeria remained the leading destination for French wheat in the season so far, with 1.8 million tonnes shipped, followed by Egypt with 1.3 million tonnes. In other grains, France exported 369,000 tonnes of barley in January, putting exports for the first seven months of the season at 2.6 million, down 15 percent year-on-year.