Bad year for the French cereal industry. The harvest of soft wheat, which is now coming to an end, is the second weakest of the decade, and the third in the past 25 years. According to estimates by the specialist firm Agritel, France produced 29.2 million tonnes of common wheat this year, that is to say 26% less than last year.
French grain farmers have been doubly unlucky. They were first hit by heavy rains at planting time, in the fall and early winter, which “ prevented some farmers from entering their fields to sow,” explains Nathan Cordier, analyst at Agritel. This significantly reduced the area sown: "4.28 million hectares, this is unheard of since the start of the millennium," notes the consultant.
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The performance of these areas was also disappointing. Due to the autumn rains, wheat, sown in poor conditions, has not always succeeded in taking hold.
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