French Corn Planting to Advance 4.5%, Ministry Forecasts

French farmers will lift corn planting by 4.5 percent to the highest level in three years, the Agriculture Ministry forecast.

Corn for grain production will be planted on 1.67 million hectares (4.12 million acres) from 1.59 million hectares in 2011, the ministry wrote in a monthly crop report. Planting was 53 percent done as of May 1, the ministry wrote.