The French Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the country's winter soft wheat acreage will be reduced to 4.92 million hectares for the 2022 harvest, compared to 4.96 million hectares in the previous year.
In its first estimates of land use for next year's harvest, the ministry puts the winter barley area at 1.23 million hectares compared to 1.20 million hectares in the previous year and forecasts that the winter rape area from 0.98 million hectares to 1.10 Million hectares will be expanded.
For hardy wheat, farmers should sow around 279,000 hectares, compared to 284,000 hectares in the previous year.
Wheat and rapeseed are grown almost exclusively as winter crops in France, while barley production makes up a significant proportion of summer sowing.
Traders and analysts have anticipated a sharp increase in the French rapeseed area, as record prices have favored a recovery in the sowing after a decline in recent years.
However, the ministry said its canola acreage forecast for 2022 remains well below the 1.2 million hectare average compared to 2017-2021.
Analysts have also expected rapeseed to recover, which will curb grain cultivation. However, attractive prices and favorable autumn weather limit the decline in wheat and barley.
Corn is expected to be more likely to lose area during the spring sowing period as farmers grow less fertilizer-intensive crops amid rising fertilizer prices.
Source
Hansa Terminhandel GmbH