French wheat condition extends 4-year low: FranceAgriMer

The outlook for the French soft wheat crop is at its gloomiest for four years, as crop conditions dropped two percentage points on the week to February 25, data from French governmental agency FranceAgriMer showed Friday.

The “good to excellent” rating dropped to 83%, down from 93% at the same stage last year.

The bulk of the crop, or 76%, remains in “good” condition, while only 7% is in “excellent” condition, down from 32% the year before.

The French soft wheat crop development is slightly ahead of last year, with an initial 1% of the crop already in the "stem elongation" stage.

The durum acreage rated “good to excellent” was revised down as well to 77%, down two percentage points from last week and compares to 82% this time last year.

The French 2018 soft wheat acreage is estimated at 4.96 million ha, with the durum acreage pegged at 356,000 ha, according to the agriculture ministry agency Agreste.