France's corn harvest is on pace this year for a 35 percent fall to nine million tons, a level last seen in 1980 for Europe's biggest grains producer, the government said Friday.
Issued on: 08/08/2026 - RFI
France's corn harvest is on pace this year for a 35 percent fall to nine million tons, a level last seen in 1980 for Europe's biggest grains producer, the government said Friday 7 August, 2026. AFP/File
The AGPM producers' association had previously forecast a harvest of 9.5 million, down 30 percent from a year ago, owing to a reduction in areas under cultivation.
But new forecasts from the agriculture ministry's statistics department take into account heatwaves that hit the crop in critical stages of its growth cycle.
Yields are estimated to fall to 70.3 quintals per hectare, down 19 percent on the year, under the combined effects of heatwaves and drought.
But farmers have also reduced corn production areas in favour crops like sunflowers, or have chosen to leave land fallow amid rising costs.
Sharp decline
The Agriculture Ministry estimates that the cultivated area will be down by 21 percent this year, and said corn yields had not declined this sharply since 2003.
The war in the Middle East has sent fertiliser costs soaring, but corn prices have not followed suit, as global production remains relatively abundant.
Cereal grains, mainly winter crops, were "less affected by the extreme heat, but experienced excessive winter rainfall", the ministry said.
It has only slightly revised its harvest forecast, published in mid-July, to 46.1 million tonnes, compared with 46.3 million announced in July.
The AGPM producers' association had previously forecast a harvest of 9.5 million, down 30 percent from a year ago, owing to a reduction in areas under cultivation.
But new forecasts from the agriculture ministry's statistics department take into account heatwaves that hit the crop in critical stages of its growth cycle.
Yields are estimated to fall to 70.3 quintals per hectare, down 19 percent on the year, under the combined effects of heatwaves and drought.
But farmers have also reduced corn production areas in favour crops like sunflowers, or have chosen to leave land fallow amid rising costs.
Sharp decline
The Agriculture Ministry estimates that the cultivated area will be down by 21 percent this year, and said corn yields had not declined this sharply since 2003.
The war in the Middle East has sent fertiliser costs soaring, but corn prices have not followed suit, as global production remains relatively abundant.
Cereal grains, mainly winter crops, were "less affected by the extreme heat, but experienced excessive winter rainfall", the ministry said.
It has only slightly revised its harvest forecast, published in mid-July, to 46.1 million tonnes, compared with 46.3 million announced in July.
French farmers 'heavily impacted' by climate crisis, both psychologically and economically.
Issued on: 07/08/2026 - FRANCE24
Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Jean-Mathieu Thévenot, farmer in the French Basque Country, a member of the Confédération Paysanne farmers' union in France, and part of the international movement La Via Campesina. According to Thévenot, 2026 marks a turning point where climate disruption has become an immediate agricultural, economic, and cultural reality. While his own farm has been only partially affected because their production cycle ended earlier in the season, he witnesses the daily struggles of vegetable growers, livestock farmers, and fruit producers across southwestern France.
Video by: Alison SARGENT
Issued on: 07/08/2026 - FRANCE24
Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Jean-Mathieu Thévenot, farmer in the French Basque Country, a member of the Confédération Paysanne farmers' union in France, and part of the international movement La Via Campesina. According to Thévenot, 2026 marks a turning point where climate disruption has become an immediate agricultural, economic, and cultural reality. While his own farm has been only partially affected because their production cycle ended earlier in the season, he witnesses the daily struggles of vegetable growers, livestock farmers, and fruit producers across southwestern France.
Video by: Alison SARGENT
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