World Grain - May 2023 - 18

COUNTRY FOCUS
KEY FACTS
FOCUS ON
FRANCE
Nation has faced several poor harvests and
some of the driest months in recent history
by Susan Reidy
France, the European Union's largest wheat producer and exporter,
in recent years has faced a series of difficult harvests and
a drop in exports. So far this year, it has experienced significant
dryness in late winter and early spring.
Additional precipitation is needed to ensure winter crops
achieve full potential and to allow adequate planting, germination
and growing conditions for corn, the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) said in a report from the Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS). The nation is again concerned that the 2023-24
crop will face a drought similar to those seen in 2022-23 and
2020-21.
In 2020-21, France's wheat crop dropped to 29.2 million tonnes,
the third smallest in history and only slightly above the 2016 crop,
which was the most extreme yield lost in recent years. The drop in
2020 was attributed to heavy rain in 2019 that prevented sowing
winter wheat in the best conditions and reduced planted area by
about 1 million acres. A mild winter led to pest infestations, which
impacted the health of the crop and its development.
The winter was followed by a dry spring resulting in moisture
stress and limiting grain filling, reducing its size and
weight. Farmers reported that yields varied
widely between fields, which are due to
the soil capacity to hold moisture and
the date of sowing.
This winter was also very dry
with an unprecedented sequence
of days without rain, according
to French agency FranceAgriMer.
February was the
fourth driest month since
1959 and the groundwater
situation is " deteriorated and
unsatisfactory, " it said.
" Despite temperatures remaining
above the seasonal
average and soil moisture becoming
increasingly dry, grain
production in France is expected to
recover from the low levels registered
in market year 2022-23, " the FAS said.
18
Capital: Paris
Population: 68,521,974 (2023 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%,
Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish
1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9%.
Location: Mainland France, Western Europe,
bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel,
between Belgium and Spain, southeast of
the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Italy and Spain.
Government: Semi-presidential republic. President:
Emmanuel Macron (since May 14, 2017).
Head of government: Prime Minister Élisabeth
Borne (since May 16, 2022).
Economy: France is a high-income, advanced
and diversified EU economy and euro user. It is
the world's seventh largest economy and the second
largest in the EU. It has strong tourism, aircraft
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and industrial
sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic weighed
heavily on the economy. Real GDP is projected
to grow by 2.6% in 2022, 0.6% in 2023 and 1.2%
in 2024. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, supply chain
disruptions and elevated energy prices have
dented economic prospects. Inflation is expected
to reach 5.9% in 2022, 5.7% in 2023 and 2.7%
in 2024, lowering household purchasing power
and consumption growth. The decline in business
and household confidence, weaker global
economic conditions and high uncertainty will
hold back investment and exports. Wages are
accelerating, owing to recent labor market improvements
and the indexation of the minimum
wage. Yet, with slowing growth and declining
employment, the unemployment rate will rise to
8.1% in 2024. The temporary caps on regulated
energy prices and temporary subsidies and cash
transfers have smoothed energy price shocks,
but these measures are expected to be progressively
phased out in 2023-24. Though energy
supply remains uncertain, it is crucial to improve
the targeting of support measures to reduce fiscal
costs, avoid impeding structural changes and
limit additional inflationary pressures. An aging
population and higher interest rates will weigh
on the public finances, raising the need for improved
spending efficiency and a reform of the
pension system.
GDP per capita: $45,000 note: data are in 2017
dollars (2021 est.); inflation: 1.64% (2021 est.); unemployment:
8.06% (2021 est.).
Currency: Euro (EUR): 0.91 euro equals 1 US dollar
(April 25, 2023).
Exports: $920.864 billion note: data are in current
year dollars (2021 est.): aircraft, packaged
medicines, cars and vehicle parts, wine, beauty
products, gas turbines (2021).
Imports: $957.717 billion note: data are in current
year dollars (2021 est.): cars, crude petroleum,
refined petroleum, packaged medicines,
aircraft machinery (2019).
Agriculture: 1.7% (2017 est.) of GDP and 2.8% of
the labor force.
Internet: Code: .fr; 55.9 million (2021 est.) users.
Source : CIA World Factbook/OECD Economic Outlook
May 2023 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of World Grain - May 2023
