950809

France may be

heading for average

wheat crop

PARIS: Combining is now completed in most part of France and a picture is slowly emerging of an average, often disappointing wheat crop.

Initial data from key wheat producing areas such as central France and the Poitou-Charente region point to lower yields and output. But eastern and southern France regions should produce more wheat as both area and yields are on the rise.

While spring barley yields may be down in some regions, overall malting barley quality is deemed good. A bumper rapeseed crop, though, is expected in central France and Poitou-Charente.

The French farm ministry on July 1 forecast a 2.5 percent rise in soft wheat output to 30.229 million tonnes in 1995/96, a 2.2 percent increase in barley to 7.815 million tonnes, and a 37.5 percent jump in rapeseed output to 2.436 million tonnes.

The durum wheat crop was forecast down 7.2 percent at 969,000 tonnes.

"It will be an average year with large variations depending on area and wheat varieties", an official at the ONIC cereals office for the central France region predicted. "There is great disappointment on soft wheat and spring barley but the rapeseed crop may be the crop of the century."

In central France the harvest was over by end-July, and a warm and wet winter, late spring freezes and a hot summer left the grain vulnerable to disease. Diseases affecting the base of the stem were particularly blamed for yield loss.

The official now expects the soft wheat yield there to drop to 6.2-6.3 tonnes per hectare from 6.8 in the 1994/95 campaign.

Despite a two percent rise in area, central France soft wheat output is expected to fall by 5-10 percent from the 4.921 million tonnes of the previous season. Durum wheat output will also be down as the area fell to 21,000 hectares from 31,000 and yields are forecast down to 6.3-6.4 tonnes from 6.6 tonnes.

Winter barley yields may ease to six tonnes per hectare from 6.2 tonnes, while the July hot spell has been blamed for spring barley losses. Yields are now forecast falling to five tonnes from 5.6.

But central France is heading for a bumper rapeseed crop, with a 10 percent rise in area to 102,000 hectares and yields of 3.5 tonnes against 2.7 in the previous campaign.

In the Poitou-Charente region an ONIC official blamed mid-May freezes for yield loss. "Soft wheat is the big disappointment," he said, predicting yields of 5.4 tonnes per hectare, down 15 percent from the previous campaign.

Assuming a 2.7 percent rise in wheat area the region expects soft wheat production to fall by 13 pct to 1.5 million tonnes.

Officials cautioned that wheat quality forecasts may be premature at this stage. Quality in Central France was said to be in line with last year, with average protein content. But in Poitou-Charente quality was said to be rising.

Winter barley yields may rise to 6.3 tonnes per hectare from 6.18 tonnes while spring barley yields are forecast unchanged or slightly above last year's 5.7 tonnes.

In the Nord-Pas de Calais region, last weekend's rains delayed the harvest but combining should be over this week.

Initial cuts of early wheat varieties show very good yields and protein content, a local official said. He reported 8.8-9 tonnes per hectare on these varieties against eight in 1994/95, but cited fears that heat stress may hurt late varieties.

In southern France, an ONIC official for the Midi-Pyrennees region said soft wheat yields were expected to rise to 5.7 tonnes per hectare from 5.1.

Wheat quality was good, with 11.5 percent protein content against 10-10.5 percent last year.

Durum wheat yields were forecast at 5.1 tonnes against 4.6.-Reuter