France risks losing its status as grain powerhouse

France is poised to experience its worst soft wheat harvest in over four decades, largely due to excessive rainfall affecting the European Union’s leading wheat producer.

Production for the 2024-25 season is projected to fall to 25.2 million tons, representing a 27% decrease from the five-year average, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Persistent rain, insufficient sunlight, and low temperatures conducive to crop diseases have significantly impacted yields and quality across most growing regions.

Weather extremes across Europe have adversely affected grain production this season, with heavy rains in northwestern Europe and drought along with high temperatures damaging corn crops in the east. In response to the disastrous harvest, French farmers have urged the government to provide financial support.

Gautier Le Molgat, Director of Argus Media France, noted, “We have to go back to 1983, which saw a harvest of 24.5 million tons, to find a comparable low.” He warned that the entire French cereal industry will likely face repercussions from this historic production decline.

Despite the grim forecast in France and reduced yields in Russia, wheat prices in Chicago remain near their lowest levels in four years, thanks to a well-supplied U.S. market. Wheat futures in Paris, which had surged to a one-year high in May due to frost and rain, have been steadily declining since then.