France: 9% of anticipated winter barley area sown to-date

French farmers made little progress harvesting maize last week as this year's crop continued to lag the usual pace, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on October 8.

An estimated 7% of the grain maize crop area had been harvested by Oct. 4, up only slightly from 2% a week earlier and well below 47% progress a year ago, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal report.

Growth of maize crops has been curbed this year by cool spells in spring and summer, while heavy rain since late September has held up early harvest work.

For the 50% moisture stage that precedes maize harvesting, crops were running 10 days behind the average pace of the past five years, FranceAgriMer said.

In its first estimates of winter cereal sowing for next year's harvest, the office said 4% of the expected soft wheat area had been drilled by Oct. 4, compared with 1% a week earlier and year-earlier progress of 5%.

For winter barley, 9% of the anticipated area had been sown, against 2% the prior week and 5% a year earlier.

After stormy weather brought heavy rain last weekend, a sunny spell this week is expected to allow farmers to step up field work.

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