French soft wheat and barley ratings stable last week

The condition of France’s soft wheat crop remained stable last week in a new sign that drier weather allowed crops to stop deteriorating.

Ratings showed that 74% of the soft wheat crop was in good or excellent condition by March 10, unchanged from a week earlier, while winter barley scores were stable at 70% compared to 68% by the same time last year.

The soft wheat rating was still the second-lowest in the past five years after the 66% score a year ago when torrential rain set France on course for its smallest wheat harvest since the 1980s.

Winter crop conditions deteriorated between December and February, with a wet January keeping some fields waterlogged, but they have remained nearly stable since.

‘No wheat import this year owing to sufficient stock’

Spring barley sowing was 92% complete as of Monday, up from 65% the previous week and well ahead of the 28% a year earlier.

The pace of sowing also exceeded the five-year average of 70% for that week.