France expects drought-hit maize crop to hit 32-year low

France, the European Union’s biggest grain grower, on Tuesday reduced its forecast for this year’s drought-hit maize crop by 1 million tonnes to the lowest level since 1990. Grain maize production, excluding crop grown for seeds, was now expected at 11.33 million tonnes, 8% below the farm ministry’s initial projection in August. “A decline in planting, linked to the surge in fertiliser and gas prices, has been coupled with a sharp drop in yields caused by drought,” the ministry said of maize in a crop report. The drop in yields had affected all growing regions and was particularly severe for non-irrigated crops, it added. Maize, harvesting of which is getting under way, is among crops to have suffered most from France’s worst drought on record. The ministry trimmed its forecast for sunflower seed production to 1.86 million tonnes from 1.92 million projected in August. That was nearly 3% below last year’s crop as a drought-related hit to yields was expected to offset a jump in ...