French Corn Harvest Faces Worst Decline in Nearly Four Decades

French farmers are bracing for their smallest corn harvest in nearly four decades due to heatwaves, droughts, and declining cultivated areas. The agriculture ministry's statistics department has revised its forecast downwards, estimating a yield of 70.3 quintals per hectare, down 19 percent from last year.

The sharp decline is attributed to the combined effects of heatwaves and droughts, which have hit crops in critical stages of their growth cycle. Additionally, farmers have reduced corn production areas in favor of sunflowers or chosen to leave land fallow amid rising costs.

The war in the Middle East has led to a significant increase in fertilizer costs, but corn prices have not followed suit due to relatively abundant global production. The ministry has only slightly revised its harvest forecast from 46.3 million tonnes announced in July to 46.1 million tonnes.