French Maize Crop Rating Downgrades as Drought Increases

In France, the European Union's largest grain producer, corn crop condition fell sharply last week to its lowest level in a decade as drought and the recent heatwave scorched fields, according to data from the agricultural office FranceAgriMer.

An estimated 53% of French grain corn was in good or excellent condition as of August 8, down from a revised 62% the previous week, FranceAgriMer said in its grain crop report on Friday. This was the lowest corn score for the same period of the year in FranceAgriMer data going back to 2011. This year's score fell by nearly 30 percentage points last month, hampering a good start to the growing season. Maize is among the crops most exposed to France's worst drought on record, exacerbated by successive heat waves that have also fueled forest fires. A year ago, 91% of maize was rated good or excellent in the same week, FranceAgriMer said. Maize crops may have suffered more damage this week as dry weather persists, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in the southwest on Friday. "This week has been too much, it will cost us dearly," said Dominique Defay, a farmer who grows maize in the Sarthe and Mayenne regions in northwestern France. "I can't say what the yield will be like, some crops will be good, others will be a disaster." French farmers are watching to see if the storms expected this weekend will bring rain and cooler temperatures to prevent further corn losses. Other parts of Europe have also suffered severe drought and extreme heat this summer, leading forecasters to lower their expectations for this year's EU maize crop, crucial for feeding the bloc's livestock herds. Shipments from Ukraine, the EU's largest maize supplier, continued to be disrupted by the war despite the resumption of sea trade under a diplomatic agreement, raising concerns of supply tensions. A hot and dry summer is expected to lead to an early start to the maize harvest in France next month after other cereals were harvested faster than usual. FranceAgriMer said farmers finished harvesting spring barley last week after completing the harvest of soft wheat, winter barley and durum wheat.