Reduction of arable land in France by 2024

According to the forecasts of the French Ministry of Agriculture, the area of land allocated for the cultivation of grain crops in the 2024 season will decrease to 6.81 million hectares, which is 6.8% less than last year, despite the expected expansion of areas for spring crops. The area dedicated to planting soft wheat will decrease by 7.7% to 4.39 million hectares. This information was reported by the Grain Online agency. Abundant rainfall since October 2023 has led to a reduction in the area for winter soft wheat by 7.7% to 4.34 million hectares, for winter durum wheat by 6.4% to 0.22 million hectares, and for winter barley by 6.1% to 1.28 million hectares. Some of the unplanted areas by farmers will be allocated for spring barley. The French Ministry of Agriculture predicts that the area for spring barley will increase to 0.5 million hectares (a 10.7% increase compared to last year), and for spring soft wheat to 0.02 million hectares (6.4%). The current year will also be characterized by a reduction in the area allocated for leguminous crops by 4.3% to 0.27 million hectares, including a decrease in the area for peas by 5.6% to 0.19 million hectares.