France wheat crop threatened by drought this year

France wheat crop threatened by drought this year

France's wheat crop may see diminished yields if the current drought continues, increasing world prices in spite of a predicted bumper crop, according to French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire.

The French government has already pledged hundreds of millions of euros to the country's livestock farmers to help them combat decreasing feed supplies and rising prices. "The situation is serious for French farmers," said Le Maire. "We wanted to act swiftly and on a large scale." Rainfall has recorded at 40% to 80% below the long-term average from 1951 to 2000. January to April have been the driest for France since 1975, while Switzerland has recorded one of its ten driest years so far since 1864 and Germany has gone through its driest spring since 1893.

The government has restricted water use in more than half of France's administrative regions and departments to help offset the shortage.

France's wheat crop, Europe's largest, is in a "danger zone" as drought reduces the potential harvest, the country's crops office FranceAgriMer said yesterday.

France just had its second-hottest April since 1900 and one of the driest since 1953, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Wheat production will fall from last year because of the drought, Michel Portier, general director of Paris-based farm adviser Agritel, said in an interview on May.


...Read More