Cereal crop ratings in France were stable in the week to 14 June, with field conditions staying mostly favourable during a hot spell, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday.
An estimated 81% of soft wheat, France's main cereal crop, was in good or excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week and well above a year-earlier score of 56%, FranceAgriMer said in a weekly cereal report.
Increasingly hot weather this month has generally been viewed as beneficial for crops after a chilly spring, keeping France on course for a rebound from last year's disappointing harvest.
Hot Spell
Temperatures in France, the European Union's biggest grain producer, reached 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) or above in much of the country earlier this week, but storms from mid-week that brought rain and more moderate heat are expected to limit the risk of crop stress.
FranceAgriMer's latest update showed soft wheat crops were still running about a week behind their average growth pace of recent years, despite expectations that the warm spell would quicken their development.
However, traders have reported this week some initial harvesting of winter barley near the west coast of France, suggesting a similar time frame for the harvest to last year.
No winter barley harvesting was recorded in the week to 14 June, with the good/excellent rating for crops unchanged at 76%.
Elsewhere, analysts and traders have said that warm weather and showers since last month have put Europe on course for good barley yields this summer, with the timing of the harvest a key issue as crops recover from a cold start to spring.
Ratings for spring barley and grain maize were also stable, at 86% and 91% respectively, FranceAgriMer said.
News by Reuters, edited by ESM. For more Supply Chain news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
