The French Ministry of Agriculture (Agreste) cut its estimate for France's corn crop this year by 1 million tonnes. It is expected to be up to 11.3 million, which means that this will be the worst harvest since 1990, writes Farmer.pl.
Despite the forecast, corn prices fell. Analysts say this is due to pressure from supplies from Ukraine and the harvest in South America.
Grain corn production is down 25.3% in 2022 year -on-year and 16.6% from the five-year average for 2017-2021, according to Agreste data.
The reduction in acreage due to high fertilizer prices and extreme drought contribute to the decline in yields. A weaker harvest is expected in all regions of France.
The French Association of Maize Farmers (AGPM) previously reported a severe lack of water that disrupted the entire crop production cycle and three heat waves that affected flowering.