France: Winter barley sowing almost completed, nearly all crops in good shape

Farmers in France, the European Union's biggest grain grower, had almost completed soft wheat and winter barley sowing by Nov. 14, and nearly all emerged crops were in good shape, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on November 18.

Farmers had sown 97% of the expected soft wheat area and 99% of the anticipated winter barley area, FranceAgriMer said in a weekly cereal crop report.

An estimated 98% of soft wheat and winter barley crops were in good or excellent condition, it said.

For durum wheat, the variety used in pasta, 74% of the anticipated area for next year's harvest had been sown.

Grain planting and crop emergence have been favoured by mild weather and adequate rainfall this autumn.

Emergence of soft wheat and winter barley crops was running about a week ahead of the usual pace, FranceAgriMer's data showed, reflecting the impact of an exceptionally warm October.

Showers this week are expected to give crops a further boost in the run-up to the winter dormancy period and help replenish soil moisture depleted by severe drought this summer.

Harvesting of grain maize, estimated to have plunged to a three-decade production low due to drought, ended in the previous week.