Paris | Reuters — This year’s soft wheat crop in France, the European Union’s biggest producer, is expected to rise to 33.40 million metric tons, up 30 per cent from a rain-hit harvest last year, Argus Media said on Tuesday.
That would still be well below the average 2017-2023 level of 34.96 million tons, it said in a statement.
Why it matters: France is a major wheat exporter.
While the national yield improved to 7.44 tonnes per hectare, 3.4 per cent above the 2017-2023 average, the smaller cultivated area of 4.49 million hectares (11.10 million acres) weighed on overall production, Argus said.
Read Also
Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow
It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient uptake seemed to spike in popularity. But according to Spencer Harris, senior vice-president of global ag retail for Nutrien Ag Solutions, biologicals are not all that new for Nutrien — the global ag retailer has been researching biological crop inputs for nearly two decades.
Analysts and traders have been expecting French production of soft wheat to rebound sharply this year after a disastrous harvest in 2024.
The French farm ministry last week pegged the country’s 2025 soft wheat production at 32.6 million metric tons, up 27 per cent from last year and in line with market expectations.
France’s wheat crop had faced excessive winter rains and mixed spring weather. Despite improved rainfall in May and favorable sunlight during flowering, grain filling was constrained by hot weather in June.
The quality of the 2025 crop will meet export standards, with most protein levels exceeding 11 per cent, good specific weight and low humidity levels, Argus said.
Argus’ estimate was based on a survey carried out on July 17-22.
— Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide
