- The area under maize in France has increased by almost 10% compared to the previous year.
- This is due to the unfavorable weather conditions for the cultivation of winter crops.
- The area planted with spring barley and sugar beet is also up on the previous year, while the cultivation of wheat and rapeseed is slightly down.
Increase in maize harvest in line with preliminary estimates
Following the heavy rainfall that hit winter crops in France, farmers are now turning to sowing maize. In its forecasts, the Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the area planted to this crop in France in 2024 will increase by 9.6% compared to the previous year. However, this is still 5% less than the average of the last five years.
Despite doubts as to whether fieldwork can be carried out as planned due to the postponement of the rainy season, maize sowing will go ahead as planned after the last warm and dry week. The total area under cultivation will be 1.44 million hectares.
Estimated area under cultivation in France in 2024
The Ministry of Agriculture has included in its forecasts an expected increase in the area planted to spring crops, linked to a decrease in winter crops that were not sown due to unfavorable weather.
The most sown winter crops in France are wheat and rapeseed. According to last week’s report from the Ministry of Agriculture, the current estimated area under wheat is 4.4 million hectares (slightly more than announced in April’s report), a decrease of 7.5% compared to 2023. Rapeseed will be sown on an area of 1.33 million hectares, 0.8% less than last year.
Among spring crops, barley is in first place – in April, the size of the crop was estimated at 4.96 million hectares, but this figure has been increased to 5.02 million, 12.2% more area than last year. Sugar beet is also appearing in the fields at the beginning of the year, with an estimated 399,000 hectares, 4.6% more than in 2023.
