French Farmers Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Harvest Seek State Help
- Wheat harvest is on track for worst output in a decade
- Bad weather battering crops in France, other major exporters
A flooded road in Roupeldange, France, on May 17. Floods and landslides across the country have caused severe damage to agricultural areas.
Photographer: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
French farmers are calling on the government to provide financial aid as there’s a high risk that this year’s wheat harvest will be the lowest in at least a decade because of heavy rains.
Three weeks into the season, field surveys show a drop of at least 15% for wheat production from a year earlier, but it could be as much as a 28% decline, according to lobby group AGPB. That would indicate production of as little as 26 million tons this season.