France: Up to 15% of sunflower seeds unharvested in most affected areas

"Unable to bring in plots, unripe crops and seeds that were too wet, or plots that were dumped due to bad weather: a significant portion of the sunflower areas could not be harvested in 2024. This is a historic fact for the crop," notes Terres Inovia in its campaign report. "French sunflower producers have, in fact, faced very difficult or even exceptional sowing and harvesting conditions due to the weather conditions throughout the campaign. After often late sowing, the high rainfall and the relative coolness in late summer and early autumn not only slowed down the crop's reaching maturity but also constrained the harvests, spread over more than three months. » According to the technical institute, "unharvested areas range from a few plots in the southern sectors to 10 to 15% of the area in the most affected sectors (West, Burgundy and Central France)." By integrating these areas, the national average yield for 2024 is estimated at 20 q/ha, lower than the five-year average (23.1 ...