French spring barley sowing at near-standstill in wet weather

French farmers made virtually no progress in spring barley sowing last week, farm office FranceAgriMer said, suggesting heavy rain was disrupting field work in the European Union's biggest grain producer. Spring barley sowing was 33% complete by March 2, up only marginally from 32% a week earlier and well below the 88% progress seen a year ago, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal crop report on Friday.

This year's sowing pace had also fallen behind the average rate of the past five years, it said. Drilling of spring barley, the first major cereal crop to be sown in France at the end of winter, had got off to brisk start in late January, helped by unseasonably mild temperatures. However, frequent showers in February, with parts of northern France seeing record rainfall for the month, have waterlogged some fields that were still soggy after torrential rain in autumn.

In the northerly Hauts-de-France region, spring barley sowing was 7% complete by March 2, unchanged from a week earlier and compared with 82% a year ago, while in Lorraine in the northeast sowing had stalled at 2% completed versus 85% a year earlier, FranceAgriMer said. After more showers this week and further rain forecast next week, traders are increasingly expecting some intended spring barley sowing to be switched to later-planted maize (corn).