France to produce 25.17mn t of wheat in 2024
Argus expects France to record its smallest wheat harvest in 41 years after near-continuous rain from planting right through until harvest proved detrimental to yields.
Argus projects yields in France's 2024 wheat crop at 5.933 t/hectare (ha), down by 18.7pc on average yields in the past five years.
Together with areas at 4.243mn ha, this would put this year's French wheat production at 25.17mn t. The figure is nearly 10mn t below last year's crop and represents a 27.2pc drop on the past five-year average.
Argus collected feedback from farmers, grain trading firms and co-operatives across France during the week of 1-5 August.
Market participants on the whole said their yields fell by 15-25pc compared with their previous averages. Only producers in the southernmost parts of France reported less of a drop.
Wet weather set the season off to a poor start at the time of planting. And the outlook for French wheat then took a further hit from crop disease, low temperatures and a lack of sunlight hours.
Unfavourable weather has also weighed on the quality of French wheat. Key measures of quality, in particular the test weight of the crop, vary highly from region to region this year.
Grain processors will be able to assure there is wheat available to meet the standards of domestic and international buyers, despite a high volume of feed grade in this year's crop. But both French producers and exporters have already slowed sales activity at the start of the 2024-25 marketing year in response to signs of a poor crop.
Argus' output forecast puts this year's crop even smaller than in 2016, when France had its smallest harvest so far this century. In 2016, larger planted areas partially offset a drop in yields to 5.374 t/ha thanks to a generally favourable start of the season, before the weather turned less beneficial to wheat crops in spring.
Related news posts
France lowers 2024-25 wheat production outlook
France lowers 2024-25 wheat production outlook
London, 17 September (Argus) — French wheat output in 2024-25, excluding durum, is now estimated at 25.78mn t by French agricultural ministry agency Agreste, down by 540,000t from its August projections . The agency attributed the cut to unfavourable weather conditions, with average yields estimated at 6.15t/hectare (ha). This compares with average yields pegged at 6.24t/ha in the agency's projections last month . Agreste now pegs France's durum wheat production at 1.18mn t, down from the 1.19mn t it forecast in August. Barley estimates also took a hit, with the agency now seeing France's total winter and spring barley production at 10.05mn t, down from 10.4mn t last month. Spring crops fared better since Agreste's August report, with corn output projections rising to 14.39mn t, up from the 14.01mn t the agency forecast last month. It expects a year-on-year increase in both planted areas and yields for French corn. And sunflower seed and rapeseed production forecasts were each raised by 10,000t, to 1.86mn t and 3.95mn t, respectively. But less favourable weather means both oilseed crops are scheduled to decline year on year. By Megan Evans Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil's Parana ports handle record cargo in Aug
Brazil's Parana ports handle record cargo in Aug
Sao Paulo, 16 September (Argus) — The Paranagua and Antonina ports, in Brazil's southern Parana state, handled a record amount of cargo in August thanks to increased fertilizer imports. The two ports handled 6.9mn metric tonnes (t) of cargo in August, up by 14pc from the same month in 2023 and above the prior record of 6.6mn t in June, according to Parana's port authority data. That also surpassed July's handling by 20pc. Imports totaled 2.5mn t last month, a 41pc hike from August 2023 and above the 2.2mn t handled in July. Fertilizer imports increased by 59pc to 1.2mn t in August from a year before and were 29pc — or 265,170t — above the prior month's imports. Exports reached 4.4mn t, up from 4.3mn t in August 2023 and a near 27pc increase from July's exports. Soybean shipments rose by 10pc to 1.9mn t in August from the same month last year. That was also above the 1.3mn t exported in the previous month. Corn exports decreased by 77pc to 72,900t, down from 316,430t shipped in August 2023 and almost in line with July's exports. Exports of bulk sugar increased by 34pc to 836,430t last month from the same period a year ago. That was also up by 77pc from July's exports. Parana ports handled 46.4mn t in January-August, up by 10pc from the same period in 2023, also boosted by higher imports. Imports increased by 23pc to 17.2mn t. Fertilizer imports rose by 14pc to 6.9mn t, up from 6mn t in January-August 2023. Exports totaled 29.2mn t, a 4pc increase from the same eight months last year. Soybean shipments rose by 11pc to 11.2mn t in the period, while corn exports dropped by 80pc to 581,730t from the same eight-month period in 2023. Wheat exports in January-August more than tripled to 171,830t from the same period a year before. Sugar shipments increased by 46pc to 4.2mn t. By Maria Albuquerque Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India hikes import duties on vegetable oils
India hikes import duties on vegetable oils
Kyiv, 16 September (Argus) — India has sharply increased duties on crude and refined vegetable oils in a bid to reduce imports and protect local oilseed farmers. Import duties on crude palm oil (CPO), sunflower oil (SFO) and soybean oil (SBO) will increase to 27.5pc, from 5.5pc, while duties on refined oils, like RBD palm olein, are now set at 37.75pc, compared with 13.75pc earlier. The new rates came into effect on 14 September. The move might reduce overseas imports of CPO, SBO and SFO, and support local oilseed prices, before regional elections. On Monday, SFO was offered to India at about $1,060/t for October-November shipment, compared with $1,045-1,050/t a week ago. The higher import duties could pressure palm oil prices. Palm oil imports represent the biggest share in India's overall vegetable oils purchases at 7.64mn t so far this season, down from 9.79mn t a year earlier. India — the world's largest vegetable oil importer — received 13.69mn t of vegoils in November 2023-August 2024, the first 10 months of the vegetable oil year. SBO imports in August reached 455,000t, the highest since the start of the 2023-24 marketing year in November. By Kristin Yavorska Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Hurricane Francine brings rain to the lower Miss. River
Hurricane Francine brings rain to the lower Miss. River
Houston, 13 September (Argus) — Hurricane Francine dropped 4-8 inches of rain around the lower Mississippi River, raising forecast water levels on the river and potentially improving shipping conditions for barges. Points between Cairo, Illinois, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, that were at their low water thresholds over the week are now forecast to exit those thresholds in the coming week according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Increased rainfall from Hurricane Francine has locations like Greenville, Mississippi and Helena, Arkansas entering regular water levels as soon as this weekend. Other locations, such as Memphis, Tennessee, will see a bump in water levels, but will remain at its low water threshold, said NWS. The US Coast Guard has not made any changes to the draft and towing restrictions since 10 September when they changed the point for heavier loading from Greenville, Mississippi, to Vicksburg for southbound limits. More water is likely to enter the lower Mississippi River through its tributaries in the coming days, after Francine has passed the Mississippi Delta. The storm made landfall as a hurricane on the Louisiana coast the evening of 11 September but downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved northward. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more