MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Inti Landauro – “PARIS -(Dow Jones)- France’s worst drought on record is set to weigh heavily on its wheat harvest, French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday, and that could further increase global wheat prices.

According to a report released by French government weather agency Meteo France, this spring has been both the warmest and the driest on record, with a higher average temperature and less rain than in 1976, which had the most severe drought since the agency began compiling the data.

The impact of the damage will depend on the weather in the coming weeks. A hot summer would make things worse and lead to an even lower yield from the wheat crop, while rain could improve the situation. Overall, some damage to France’s wheat crop is already unavoidable, Le Maire said.

‘It is impossible to know the loss of yield now, but we already know there will be a loss,’ Le Maire told reporters.

France is Western’s Europe’s largest producer of soft wheat: a low-protein variety used to make pastries and snack foods. It also can be used as a feed for animals, and already prices have been rising as the drought in France and parts of Germany has left farmland parched. About half of France is under water rationing, facing restrictions on watering gardens, filling private swimming pools and washing cars.” Read more.