France: French farmers sow more than half of expected spring barley area

Most French wheat crops remain in good condition and farmers have sown more than half of the expected spring barley area, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on February 17.

An estimated 93% of French soft wheat crops were in good or excellent condition in the week to Feb. 13, up from 92% the previous week, the data showed.

The score was slightly below the 95% registered a year earlier, it said in a cereal crop report.

The rating was also down from the 97% estimated in FranceAgriMer's previous crop report in early December.

The data supports market expectations that crops came through unharmed after mild and freezing spells since December, though a very dry February is causing concern over soil moisture for the spring growing period.

For winter barley, 92% of the crop was rated good or excellent, while durum wheat scored 93%.

Farmers had made rapid progress in sowing spring barley, the first major cereal crop to be drilled at the end of winter.

Some 58% of the expected area had been sown, compared with 26% for the same week last year and an average 16% over the previous five years, FranceAgriMer's data shows.

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