Arab News | French wheat export outlook cut, maize stocks seen at 30-year low

PARIS: FranceAgriMer on Wednesday reduced its forecast of French soft wheat exports this season while projecting the smallest maize stocks in at least 30 years, as the farm office factored in a weather-hit maize crop.

In cereal supply-and-demand projections, the office forecast soft wheat exports outside the European Union in 2026/27 at 6.3 million ‌metric tons, ‌down from an initial outlook of ‌7.0 ⁠million tons in ⁠July.

Forecast French soft wheat shipments within the EU in 2026/27 were revised down to 7.1 million tons against 7.4 million previously.

Soft wheat stocks at the end of the season next June were projected at ⁠3.01 million tons, down from 3.65 ‌million projected in July.

‌Reduced forecasts for export demand were outweighed ‌by a lower harvest estimate, a reduced estimate ‌of stocks from last season, and a rise in expected wheat use in livestock feed.

In its first 2026/27 outlook for maize, the ‌office forecast ending stocks at 1.46 million tons, down 26 percent from 2025/26 and ⁠the ⁠lowest in FranceAgriMer records to 1996/97.

That reflected the smallest maize crop since the 1970s, following severe heat and drought this summer.

In demand, the office projected a 30 percent drop in maize use in feed compared with last season.

For barley, projected ending stocks in 2026/27 were reduced to 1.59 million tons from 1.91 million previously, reflecting a reduced estimate of harvest supply and an increased forecast of feed use.