France faces worst corn harvest in half a century

France, the largest corn producer in the European Union, will face the lowest corn harvest in 50 years. This conclusion was made by analysts of the US Department of Agriculture. The main causes of the crisis were severe drought and a significant reduction in sown areas.

This year, grain production in France is expected to fall by 50% compared to the previous season. The gross harvest will be less than 7 million tons.

The negative trend affected the entire region. Total maize production in the EU will fall to 48.2 million tonnes, down 15% from last season. This result will be the lowest in the XXI century, reports the publication “Agroexport”.

The shortage of domestic raw materials forces Europeans to actively enter the foreign market. EU maize imports are forecast to reach 23.2 million tonnes in the 2026/27 agricultural season. This is a 22% increase over the previous year and represents the highest figure since the 2018/19 season.