PARIS (Reuters) – French farmers made an early start to wheat harvesting in the week to June 20, farm office FranceAgriMer said on Friday, suggesting a hot spell accelerated the ripening of crops.
An estimated 2% of the soft wheat crop area was harvested by Monday, the office said.
That marked an earlier start than last year and was also ahead of the average harvest launch of the past five years, FranceAgriMer’s weekly cereal report showed.
Traders have reported initial harvest work in the past week after a heatwave helped ripen crops that were already running ahead of their usual growth use following a warm, dry spring. [GRA/EU]
Gathering of durum wheat and spring barley also got under way last week, with 5% and 3% of the crop area, respectively, harvested by Monday.
Winter barley harvesting accelerated, with 26% of the area cut compared with 2% a week earlier, FranceAgriMer said.
The condition of cereal crops declined slightly, suggesting a moderate impact from the heatwave on crops already near maturity.
An estimated 64% of soft wheat was rated good or excellent, down from 65% the previous week.
The state of maize (corn) crops, which are not harvested until late summer or autumn, declined more sharply, with an 84% good/excellent score against 87% a week earlier.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Robert Birsel)
