French farmers are bracing for big hit to their wheat harvest as ceaseless rains and a lack of sunshine brings flashbacks of a weather-devastated crop eight years ago in Europe’s top producer.
“The situation is shaping up to be the worst we can imagine,” said Eric Thirouin, president of French grains growers’ group AGPB.
“It is extremely difficult in the first week of June to make a prediction, but all the indicators are flashing red.”
The weather conditions are similar to 2016, Thirouin said, when France suffered its smallest crop in decades. He estimates that farmers could lose between 12pc to 20pc of the areas planted with soft wheat because of the non-stop heavy rain since October.
While the exact scope of crop loss would be clearer in a few more weeks, a significant dip could restrain exports from the country, which often hawks wheat across North Africa and the Middle East.
And it comes as bad weather also batters crops in other major exporters like Russia. Milling-wheat futures on the Euronext exchange recently reached a one-year high.
This spring was the fourth wettest on record, with rainfall up 45pc more than the 10-year average between 1991-2020, according to weather service Meteo France.
This has resulted in floods and landslides across the country, including in agricultural areas.
This season also saw a sunshine deficit of almost 20pc across France compared with the seasonal average in 1991-2020, the weather service said.
This year dramatically reminds us of 2016 when it rained without interruption during the flowering period
“This year dramatically reminds us of 2016 when it rained without interruption during the flowering period,” said Eric Foucault, who farms wheat, barley, beets and rapeseed.
Excess rain, especially close to the start of harvest in early July, can hurt the quality of grain or make crops more susceptible to fungal diseases.
The dire rain-damaged harvest in 2016-17 had cost France — the EU’s main wheat exporter — some of it traditional markets.
Some signs of damage are visible already.
Only 61pc of France’s soft-wheat crop was rated in good or very good condition as of May 27, well below last year’s level of 91pc, according to FranceAgriMer data. It’s the lowest level in four years.
Durum wheat and barley conditions are also well below last year’s averages. “Spirits have sunk to zero among farmers,” said Thirouin. “Let’s see if prices allow us to reduce the impact.”
Source - https://www.independent.ie
