Production of grain crops in Europe is expected to fluctuate

14-Aug-2024 05:09 PM

Paris. The President of the World Farmers Organization (WFO) has said that France, the leading producer and exporter of wheat in the European Union,

may see a massive drop of about 100 lakh tonnes in the production of this important food grain during the 2024-25 marketing season (July-June).

In France, the wheat sowing area is expected to decline by 17 percent and the average yield rate by 15 percent during the 2024-25 season as compared to 2023-24,

due to which its total production there is likely to shrink to around 260 lakh tonnes. Usually, an average of 350-360 lakh tonnes of wheat is produced annually in France.

According to the President of the WFO, there are signs that the quality of wheat will also be affected due to excessive rain during harvesting in France and increased moisture content in the fields, due to which its availability for food purposes will be less.

This quality wheat will be used in animal feed production. The price of this poor quality wheat remains relatively low.

Due to a sharp decline in production and poor quality, the exportable stock of wheat in France will decrease significantly and its total export from there is estimated to fall sharply by up to 50 percent in the marketing season of 2024-25 as compared to 2023-24.

This can give Russia a great opportunity to increase its wheat exports to African countries like Algeria.

Algeria has actually been a colony of France and traditionally it is also a major buyer of French wheat. But if exports from France decrease, it will try to increase its imports from Russia.

France also has to meet the domestic demand and need of wheat in other member countries of the European Union. There are reports of wheat production being affected due to adverse weather in Germany too.