# Grain sowing area in France to decrease by 7%

> The French Ministry of Agriculture put the 2024 grain sowing area at 6.81 million hectares, down 6.8% year on year. Soft wheat area fell 7.7% to 4.39 million hectares, and winter barley fell 6.1%, after heavy rain disrupted autumn sowing. Some unsown land will go to spring barley, which is forecast to rise 10.7%.

- Date: 2024-04-16 · published 2024-04-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region France · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/30696-grain-sowing-area-in-france-to-decrease-by-7
- Commodities: [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md), [Barley](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARLEY.md)

## Why it matters

A smaller French grain area reduces export availability from a major EU origin, supporting wheat and barley prices. The shift to spring barley only partly offsets the loss.

## Read by commodity

- WHEAT: bullish ▲
- BARLEY: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WHEAT | 2024-05-03 | [Corn sowing in France is very slow](https://feedsoft.ai/events/30179-corn-sowing-in-france-is-very-slow.md) | +2.0% | +14.4% |
| WHEAT | 2024-05-15 | [France sees maize area up nearly 10% in shift to spring crops](https://feedsoft.ai/events/30178-france-sees-maize-area-up-nearly-10-in-shift-to-spring-crops.md) | +19.6% | +8.8% |
| WHEAT | 2020-12-02 | [Surging grain prices add to inflation unease \| Saxo](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11431-surging-grain-prices-add-to-inflation-unease-saxo.md) | +9.8% | +10.2% |
| WHEAT | 2025-12-26 | [EU and UK Grain Harvest 2026: Decrease in Volumes Expected](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21434-eu-and-uk-grain-harvest-2026-decrease-in-volumes-expected.md) | -0.5% | +0.3% |
| WHEAT | 2026-07-21 | [France makes only minor cuts to grain and rapeseed crop forecasts despite intense heat](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18284-france-makes-only-minor-cuts-to-grain-and-rapeseed-crop-forecasts-despite.md) | -0.5% | -3.1% |

## Sources

- ukragroconsult.com: https://ukragroconsult.com/en/news/grain-sowing-area-in-france-to-decrease-by-7/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.