France's maize crop will be smaller than last year, due to lower area sown and poorer yields, but the situation is less dramatic than in 2003 when the drought had slashed the grains harvest, the farm ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement released after a meeting on the impact of the drought in the country, the ministry said it was too early to give an estimate for the maize crop but that first results pointed to slightly lower yields than in 2004. The maize harvest usually starts in September. Final crop estimates would therefore depend on August rainfall, it said.
France has been suffering from a severe drought since early Spring in many regions, particularly in the western part of the country, and strict water restrictions have now been implemented in 66 of France's 95 departments, the ministry said. Concerning other cereals, it said current estimates were satisfactory.
"The 2005 crop will be slightly lower than in 2004, when is what particularly abundant. The 2005 harvest will nevertheless be above the average seen over the last years, both in terms of quantity and quality," it said.
The ministry also said it had asked the European Commission to extend to the entire mainland France a measure whereby farmers can use set-aside land to graze animals.
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