According to the early estimates of the French Agriculture Ministry’s Statistics and Forecasting Service (SSP), the 2011 French grain harvest will be 12 per cent lower than last year. The 44.8 Million tonnes estimated represents a loss of 6.2 million tonnes compared to 2010’s crop.

The lower yields have been blamed on the spring drought which affected large parts of Europe and which hit much of Northern France particularly hard. Soft wheat was down 12 per cent and barley was down 15 per cent. The SSP said that the effects of the shortfall in yields would be felt all over France.

 Furthermore, at an estimated 2 million tonnes, the hard wheat (durum) crop is projected to fall by 21 per cent (0.5 million tonnes). This is due to an 8 per cent decrease in plantings and a fourteen percent drop in yield because of the drought.

Spring barley saw the worst reductions, with an estimated drop of 27 per cent compared to last year’s yield. The Champagne-Ardenne region, which produces a third of France’s Barley will see a 36 per cent drop. Adding to the pain, the ministry revealed that oats and rye are set to fall by 16 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.

While oilseed rape production will experience a drop, it will be less severe than in other cereals. France, Europe’s largest oilseed rape producer, along with Germany, will lose 6 per cent of its yield to the drought conditions, which puts production 9 per cent lower than 2010 levels.

Whilst pea production is also down by 39 per cent compared to 2010, faba bean yields are expected to rise by 2 per cent, although due to reduced plantings the crop is expected to be 30 per cent lower than 2010’s. Sunflower and potato planting has also risen by 3 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.