French wheat production down 13%
By FWi staff
FRENCH wheat production is 13% down on last year, but the French cereals office, ONIC, says that there is enough to meet demand, for this year at least.
At a presentation in London on Tuesday (17 October), the French agency revealed that this years 10% lower wheat acreage and lighter yields have resulted in a total production of 30.6m tonnes.
But quality is better than last year, despite lower proteins caused by the wet growing season.
“We have been encouraging producers to grow better quality milling wheat, through variety choice, husbandry and classification in stores, to meet new emerging needs of our consumers,” said chairman Christian Lapointe.
It is this drive for quality that ONICs Yves Madre hopes will result in more export markets and less competition from cheaper eastern European wheat.
“The removal of the 
10 import levy on Black Sea, Baltic and Mediterranean grains will mean cheap imports will relax feed prices,” he said. “But milling wheat will be better protected.”
Mr Lapointe agreed that French and US wheat is not competitive against the Black Sea exports, but he expects domestic prices to recover once these cheap supplies run out.
“Producers cannot possibly sell at current world market prices without subsidy, but world demand is continually exceeding supply, and common sense says that prices will have to rise.”
- Wheat crop down by a quarter – Defra, FWi, 16 October, 2001
- Brussels scraps grain import levy, FWi, 11 October, 2001
- Brussels puts off grain duty vote, FWi, 5 October, 2001
- EU talks on keeping grain prices down, FWi, 28 September, 2001
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