French wheat and barley in good shape heading into winter

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PARIS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Nearly all French wheat and barley fields are in good condition as crops head into their winter dormancy phase, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday.

Regular rainfall and warm temperatures during autumn helped sowing and early cereal growth in France, the European Union’s biggest producer.

An intensifying cold spell this week is being monitored by the market although traders say the cooling of temperatures may help plants build up resistance if frosts remain moderate.

For soft wheat, France’s main cereal variety, an estimated 97% of crops were in good or excellent condition in the week to Dec. 5, FranceAgriMer said.

That was down slightly from 98% the previous week and also just below a 98% rating in the same week last year, it said.

Nearly all soft wheat and barley crops had emerged and were running about a week ahead of the average growth pace of the past five years, FranceAgriMer said.

The favourable growing conditions suggest strong yield potential for next year’s harvest. But French crops tend to be more affected by weather from spring onwards, like this year when drought and heat stressed crops.

FranceAgriMer will resume its weekly cereal reports in February after a winter break for the dormancy period.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Elaine Hardcastle)

((gus.trompiz@thomsonreuters.com; +33 1 49 49 52 18; Reuters Messaging: gus.trompiz.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

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