2023-09-14 19:03:50
France, the leading agricultural power in the European Union, is counting on good 2023 harvests for its autumn crops, with 35.1 million tonnes of soft wheat ” quality “and an increase in corn yields, despite a decline in cultivated areas.
Wheat in good shape
On paper, the indicators are good for French wheat: good protein content, high baking quality (elasticity of bread dough, conservation) and volumes up more than 4% compared to 2022. This was highlighted by experts from the FranceAgriMer National Agricultural Products Establishment and the Arvalis technical institute on Wednesday September 13.
These volumes are more than 2% higher than the average of the last five years, due to an increase in sown areas and a good yield. Production of durum wheat, which is used to make semolina and pasta, fell by 5.6% to 1.3 million tonnes, with a drop in surface area of 17,000 hectares.
Barley production is up 6.6%, to more than 12 million tonnes, according to figures from the statistical service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agreste.
Good corn harvest
The harvest of grain corn – grown for its yellow grains, mainly intended for animal feed and seed production – is estimated at 11.5 million tonnes (+ 5.5% compared to the low production of 2022) . A performance due to excellent yields after a summer with favorable weather (rains in July-August), despite a drop in sown areas.
Production of fodder corn – harvested with its stalk before the grains mature to feed livestock – is estimated at 15.3 million tonnes, up almost 12% compared to last year. But down 3.6% compared to the average for the years 2018-1922.
Sorghum production increases slightly after the bad year of 2022. It is too dry, but remains marginal, with almost 280,000 tonnes.
Oilseeds up slightly
Overall oilseed production (sunflower rapeseed, soya) is expected to increase slightly over one year, and more significantly over five years (+15%).
The sunflower harvest, started in the South-West, is expected « record », to more than 2 million tonnes (+ 16.6% over one year). In Midi-Pyrénées, “historic sunflower region”, “production could reach 437,000 tonnes, or 100,000 tonnes more than in 2022”, according to Agreste. The shortage of sunflower oil at the start of the war in Ukraine and the low consumption of water and fertilizer for this plant led many farmers to increase their areas.
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