PARIS: Nearly all soft wheat crops in France, the European Union’s biggest grain producer, remained in good condition last week, farm office FranceAgriMer said on Friday.

An estimated 92% of soft wheat was rated good or excellent for the week to March 21, unchanged from the previous week and above a year-earlier score of 87%, the office said in a cereal crop report. Conditions for winter barley and durum wheat also remained favourable, with 88% of both cereals rated good or excellent.

French cereals have enjoyed beneficial weather since autumn sowing, although a relatively dry end to winter as in other parts of Europe has raised concerns about moisture levels as crops enter key spring growth stages.

After a warm, sunny spell this week, France is forecast to see some rain next week. Farmers finished the sowing of spring barley last week, FranceAgriMer said. That was slightly ahead of the pace last year, when 97% of the crop area had been drilled by the same week, it said.