France Strengthens Its European Leadership in Maize Seed Production

France Strengthens Its European Leadership in Maize Seed Production

With 68 200 hectares and 46 percent of Europe’s maize production programme, France strengthens its European leadership in maize seed production. The increase is significant: up 12,5 percent from the 2018/19 intentions.

According to contracts submitted to the GNIS in late June 2019, the area planned for France’s 2019/20 commercial hybrid production was 68 234 hectares.

This raises our estimate for the EU-28 to 149 500 hectares, of which France accounts for nearly 46 percent. Basic seed area should reach 2 289 hectares (up 29 percent). Sorghum seed production is equally on the rise and should reach 535 hectares (up 47 percent). However, at the same time, the number of producers in the French industry is decreasing slightly, going down 3 percent, from 3 331 (2018) to 3 244 (2019). The average area per farmer and per contract is thus increasing. As to the supply make-up, 1860 hybrids are non-sterile, up slightly (+ 2 percent) from 2018 (1822). Also, 369 hybrids are produced as CMS types (up 15 percent from 321 in 2018). These sterile forms account for 23 percent of production areas.
Weather conditions were reasonably cool during the early crop development, but also dry in places. It remains to be seen how much the recent heatwave will have affected flower initiations. Plantings and emergence took place in humid and rainy conditions in Central Europe (Hungary and Romania); thus, mediocre conditions during crop establishment may spell poor homogeneity of plant populations. Crops that were affected by rainfalls at sowing time have also been signalled in Italy. In Ukraine and Russia, crop growth conditions appear to have been satisfactory.