France: Spring barley sowing advances quickly during a drier spell in France

The condition of France’s main wheat crop declined slightly last week to remain near the rain-hit score a year ago, while spring barley sowing advanced quickly during a drier spell, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on February 28, Business Recorder reported.

Some 73% of soft wheat was rated as in good or excellent condition by February 24, down from 74% a week earlier, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal crop report. The rating was the second-lowest in the past five years after the 68% score a year ago when torrential rain put France on course for its smallest wheat harvest since the 1980s. Soft wheat conditions deteriorated between December and February, with a wet January keeping some fields waterlogged after last year’s repeated rain.

There have been drier spells this month, including last week, but farmers and analysts worry that some wheat and winter barley crops have already suffered serious damage.

The good-to-excellent rating for winter barley was unchanged on the week at 69%, slightly below a year-earlier score of 70% and the lowest since 2020, FranceAgriMer’s data showed. Spring barley sowing was 56% complete by Monday, up from 22% a week earlier and 27% a year ago. The sowing progress was also ahead of a five-year average of 42% for that week. France has seen heavy showers this week in unsettled weather, ahead of a dry, mild spell forecast for next week.

02 March, 2025