PARIS: France, Europe’s leading wheat producer, is coming off a disastrous crop season. Wheat production for the 2016-2017 campaign amounted to 28 million tonnes, compared with 40 MT last year, according to FranceAgriMer. The agency is equivalent to USDA, according to the Ag French Ministry.
Average yields are estimated at 80.91 bushels per acre, a decline of over 32% compared with last year. The reason for the disastrous harvest: the weather! Until late spring, the potential was very good, but some areas that were the most productive until early June had 200 mm of water in two days. Moreover, the lack of sunshine inhibited photosynthesis. Such lack of production has not been seen in France since 1976, the year of severe drought.
