France: Barley harvest advances despite rain

The harvesting of wheat and barley crops in France had reached its latter stages by July 24, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on July 28, keeping this year's harvest at an above-average pace despite rain last week.

In a weekly crop report, FranceAgriMer estimated that 85 percent of the soft wheat crop had been harvested by July 24, up from 63 percent a week earlier.

The median date for soft wheat harvesting so far was 12 days earlier than the average of the past five years, it said.

Farmers in the European Union's biggest grain producer had completed harvesting durum wheat by July 24, after already rounding off the winter barley harvest the previous week, FranceAgriMer said.

Spring barley harvesting was 80 percent complete, against 49 percent a week earlier. The condition of spring barley crops declined, however, with 62 percent rated good or excellent against 65 percent the prior week.