PARIS, France — The arrival of seasonably cold weather in France in the next few days should benefit cereal crops and ease concerns about unusually mild conditions so far this winter in the European Union’s top grain grower, farm office FranceAgriMer said.
Crop observers and grain traders have been concerned that a warm December across much of the Northern Hemisphere had left plants too advanced in their growth cycle and vulnerable to a subsequent cold snap.
El Nino expected to diminish in spring
Read Also
U.S. grains: Soybean futures set two-week high on US weather worry, soyoil rally
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures touched a two-week high on Friday on worries that heat may threaten U.S. crops and expectations that the country’s biofuel policy would boost demand for soyoil, analysts said.
France experienced its mildest December on record, capping off the third-warmest year ever in 2015, and relatively mild conditions have continued in early January.
Temperatures, however, are set to fall from tomorrow across the country, bringing the first widespread frosts of the winter and snowfall to plains in northeastern France, according to public weather service Meteo France.
Cold weather helps crops develop resistance and prevents vegetation from developing too rapidly, while snow protects plants when there are severe frosts.
“They’re forecasting a cold spell for next week and if we get lows of -4 or -5 C, that would be perfect,” said Remi Haquin, a farmer and president of FranceAgriMer’s cereals committee.
FranceAgriMer had rated 98 percent of soft wheat, the country’s most produced cereal crop, as in good or excellent condition as of the end of November. It will resume its weekly crop ratings in February.
FranceAgriMer and the farm ministry estimate that soft wheat sowings rose this season to a new 80-year high at around 12.9 million acres.
Separately, FranceAgriMer raised its forecast for France’s soft wheat stocks today.
