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Incessant rain since mid-October has disrupted planting, field operations, and harvesting.
Soft wheat acreage is down by more than 10% from the five-year average, to 4.2 Mha. At this stage, soft wheat production is estimated at 26.3 Mt by the Statistics and Forecasting Service (SSP) (-24% compared with the 2019-2023 average).
Durum wheat production is estimated at 1.2 Mt, down 17% from the 2019-2023 average.
Winter barley acreage is close to the five-year average at 1.2 Mha (- 2%), but with yields down on the five-year average, winter barley production is estimated at 7.2 Mt (-15% from 2019-2023).
Spring barley acreage, up on 2023, reaches 573,000 ha, but remains down from the 2019-2023 average. With an average yield of 56.4 q/ha, spring barley production would reach 3.2 Mt (- 6% compared to 2019-2023). Average protein content ranges from 9 to 10.5%, depending on the region. Specific weights are low, but calibrations are good.
Rapeseed final production is forecast at around 3.9 Mt, up 4% on the 5-year average. Oil content varies along the usual west-east gradient, with the national average expected to be slightly below the multi-year trend of 43.5% of standards. Omega-3 content is expected to be 0.5 to 1 point higher, depending on the region.
Protein crops: Rain disrupted sowing and reduced pea acreage to 164,000 ha, down 18% from 2023. Nearly 60% of winter pea acreage could not be harvested. The national average yield for protein crops is expected to be around 28 q/ha, for a production estimated at 685,000 tonnes according to the SSP. Average faba bean yields are expected to be satisfactory.
August 14, 2024/ France AgriMer/ France.
https://www.franceagrimer.fr
