Disaster in the Rye France, the European Union's largest whea | GALLIA DAILY | Voice of France

Disaster in the Rye

France, the European Union's largest wheat exporter, is warning that low rainfall and the threat of drought might affect its agricultural output this year, the Financial Times has reported. Year to date rainfall in the country has barely passed 200mm, close to the lowest recorded level and only two thirds of the median, per the French meteorological service. France exports half its 35 million tonnes annual wheat production, and is seen as "a reliable fallback in Europe" given the disruption caused by the conflict in Ukraine, according to Kona Haque, of ED&F Man, a commodities broker.

It appears this backstop might now have disappeared, raising yet more concerns about the world's food security. Given likely disruptions to wheat from Russia and Ukraine, which between them account for a quarter of global supply, and the serious droughts in the United States (15% of global supply) and Canada (13%), the news from France (10%) suggests that five of the world’s six largest exporters of wheat are simultaneously heading for large production declines.

https://www.bournbrookmag.com/home/disaster-in-the-rye