The French Federation of Corn and Sorghum Seed Producers warns of corn seed supply problems in Europe in 2023

The maize seed production campaign in France, the leader in supplying the European maize market, has faced exceptionally adverse weather conditions. Consequently, the expected level of production would be between 70% and 75% of the forecast, despite the fact that the area sown in 2022 has remained stable (84,570 ha of hybrid maize seeds and 3,520 ha of basic seeds) and that the entire French maize seed production network has been mobilized to adapt and safeguard volumes as much as possible. The drought had a strong impact on the water needs of the plants and the possibilities for irrigation were limited. However, it was above all the successive heat waves starting in mid-July, at the height of the pollination season, which greatly penalized fertilization in all production areas. The dry conditions and heat waves of the summer of 2022 spread throughout the European Union, so in Romania and Hungary, the second and third largest producers in the EU, respectively, the yield of maize ...