French Senalia expects grain export volumes to double in 2025/26

French grain export terminal operator Senalia expects grain shipment volumes in the 2025/2026 season to double last season’s levels, thanks to a recovering harvest and strong export demand for barley.

France is the largest supplier of grain to other European Union countries, with Rouen on the Seine River a major export hub. A poor 2024 harvest, when rains damaged crops, reduced France’s export potential and forced port terminals to remain idle for part of the season.

Senalia, owned by a cooperative of agricultural producers, forecasts grain shipments of 3.8 million tonnes in the current season (July-June), up from last season’s 1.8 million tonnes, and in line with the 2023/2024 season. From July to December 2025, 1.7 million tons have already been shipped.

In addition to the increased harvest, export activity received a boost from strong demand for feed barley. According to Alain Charville, Head of Grain Exports at Senalia, the company plans to ship a shipment of barley to Iraq in the near future, expanding its supply chain to the Middle East and North Africa and offsetting the decline in demand from China. Iraq is not a traditional buyer of French barley. “We are competitive on price and have multiple supply routes,” Charville said of the barley.

Tags: grain, France, wheat, export