Despite buoyant expectations from analysts, French officials reckon their wheat crop will be down by 800,000 tons this harvest with a production of 37.9m tons, 37.9m tons of that being soft wheat and the remaining 1.4m as durum wheat.

 

The International Grains Council put the crop at 38.8m tons whilst the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reckoned it would level at 38.5m tons.

 

Estimates come as ideas regarding the whole EU wheat crop may in fact have passed high water mark with concerns for yield and quality growing, due to late rains.

 

Rain was also predicted to come in eastern Europe over Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria which may also cause concerns for harvest.

 

Results from winter barley, one of the first crops to be combined, show the crop as 'satisfactory' although 'quality may decline this week due to recent rainfall'.

 

The French ministry was, however, more upbeat on barley estimates estimating it to be up 1m tons on the year at 11.3m tons. It also thought rapeseed would reach expectations at 5.2m tons.