French milling wheat has satisfactory quality despite excessive rainfall

In France, the harvest of milling wheat is almost gathered, harvesting continues only in the northernmost regions. This is reported by the state agency FranceAgriMer.

Due to a very rainy fall last year, the area under soft wheat was reduced by more than 10% compared to the five-year average and amounted to 4.2 million hectares. Excess moisture hindered plant development, increased disease spread and made harvesting more difficult.

With the exception of the southeast, yields are disappointing. Gross wheat harvest is now estimated at 26.3 million tons (-24% compared to the 2019-2023 average).

As indicated by quality checks on wheat already harvested, protein content and Hagberg Fall Number are generally satisfactory. Protein content varies by region, but the national average is fairly close to last year’s.

Bulk weight is very uneven. It is quite low in the eastern half of the country and satisfactory to good in the western half. Appropriate grain handling will improve this indicator for lots close to the contractual threshold.

Tags: France, wheat, crop condition, grain quality