French Crop Office Reiterates Forecasts for Wheat, Corn Output

By Gregory Viscusi

Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- France's farmers will reap 22 percent more soft wheat and 25 percent more barley after planting more acres and as yields improve, the French National Crops Office said, reiterating forecasts from a month ago.

Soft-wheat production will rise to 37.4 million metric tons, ONIGC said in a report handed to journalists. France dedicated 4.2 percent more land to the crop, at 5 million hectares (12.4 million acres), and yields rose almost 16 percent, ONIGC said.

Hard-wheat output will rise 10 percent to 2.2 million tons, barley will advance to 12 million tons and corn will be little changed at 14.3 million tons, ONIGC said.

France aims to export about 8.5 million tons of soft wheat outside the European Union, about 500,000 tons more than forecast a month ago. Sales are being buoyed by demand from North Africa and Iran.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@Bloomberg.net.