Adds details, link to table
PARIS, Oct 15 (Reuters) – Maize harvesting in France, the European Union’s largest grain producer, remained slow last week, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday.
An estimated 15% of the grain maize crop area had been harvested by Oct. 11, up from 7% a week earlier but well below 62% progress a year ago, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal report.
Growth of maize crops has been curbed this year by cool spells in spring and summer, while heavy rain since late September has held up early harvest work.
For the 50% moisture stage that precedes maize harvesting, crops were running 10 days behind the average pace of the past five years, FranceAgriMer said.
Slow maize harvesting in France and other European countries including Ukraine, a major exporter, has pushed up 2021 crop prices EMAX1 while adding to demand for wheat as a substitute in livestock feed, according to traders.
A sunny spell this week in France is expected to help fields dry out and let farmers step up work.
Winter cereal sowing for next year’s harvest was slightly ahead of the pace a year ago, FranceAgriMer’s data showed.
The office said 13% of the expected soft wheat area had been drilled by Oct. 11, compared with 4% a week earlier and year-earlier progress of 11%.
Winter barley sowing was 24% complete against 9% the prior week and 15% a year earlier.
TABLE-French cereal crop progress for week to Oct. 11
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz and Forrest Crellin Editing by Mark Potter)
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