France, July 17 -- France is forecast to produce 32 million tonnes of wheat in 2026, according to the French agriculture ministry's first estimates published on Thursday.

The ministry's statistics office, Agreste, estimates the average yield at 6.93 tonnes per hectare, down from 7.42 tonnes per hectare in 2025.

This drop comes despite an increase of three percent in the amount of land planted with wheat.

Deteriorating growing conditions

The decline is largely due to deteriorating growing conditions towards the end of the season, as crops were hit by successive heatwaves, according to Agreste.

France is the European Union's biggest wheat producer and one of the world's largest wheat exporters, making its harvest an important benchmark...