FranceAgriMer: Fact sheets
> Field crops
Sector
Céréals
• 2015, February
in short
1st European cereal producer and exporter
6th world cereal producer
2nd world wheat exporter
Trade balance: +8.2 billion Euros in 2013
ORGANISATION
• The French cereal sector includes a dozen species, among which 4 main crops: common wheat, maize,
barley and durum wheat.
• The sector is well organised and gathers producers (around 300,000 specialized farms), cereal collectors
(177 cooperatives, among which 2 cooperative groups, 605 dealers) and cereal processors.
PRODUCTION
• On average, over the last 5 periods (2009/10 to
2013/14):
> 9.3 million ha cultivated;
> 67 million tons (Mt) of cereals produced;
> the cereal production is largely dominated by common
wheat (53%), then maize (23%) and barleys (16%).
> over 58 million tons of cereals harvested (87% of crops),
the remaining cereals were used or stored in farms.
SECTORS
in tons
in ha
10
000
10 000
6060000
000
99 500
500
5050000
000
99 000
000
4040000
000
88 500
500
3030000
000
88 000
000
2020000
000
1010000
000
77 500
500
13/14
7070000
000
19
93
/94
19
993/94
5/
96
19
995/96
7/
98
19
9997/98
/00
20
099/00
1/
02
20
001/02
3/
04
20
003/04
5/
06
20
005/06
7/
08
20
0907/08
/10
20
109/10
1/
12
20
111/12
3/
14
• France is the first EU producer. Globally, France is the 6th
producer (all cereals together, except for rice), following the
United States, China, India, Russia and Brazil.
French cereal production and surfaces
77 000
000
Common wheat production
Maize production
production
BT
Barley production
Production
of otherproduction
cereals MA Harvested area
production OR
production autres céréales
surfaces récoltées
Shares
of
processed
cereal volumes
On average, over the last 5 periods (2009/10 to 2013/14):
PROCESSING
•

> over 10 million tons of cereals processed by the feed industry,
which is the first grain cereal consumer;
Feed compounders 41%
Flour 22%

> 5.5 to 6 million tons of soft wheat processed into flours
(16% of production);

> over 5 million tons of cereals for starch production (soft wheat,
57% and corn, 43%) in 6 plants in France;
Starch plant 20%

> the share of cereals for alcohol production (including biofuels),
stands at a little more than 2 Mt (3% of national production);
Alcohol 8%
Corn-processing mill 1%
Malting plant6%

> french malting plants process 1.6 million tons of barley,
Hard wheat
15 plants are located in mainland France;
semolina mill 2%

> in semolina mills, 600,000 t of durum wheat are crushed
(29% of French production);

> France has 5 maize-processing mills (or corn semolina mills),
which process 0.3 million tons of maize.
MARKETING
• The initial marketing of French cereals is conducted by licensed collector. They purchase from producers,
store and sell cereals.
Fact sheets
> Field crops / Cereals
sectors
16 000
Evolution of human, industrial and feed
uses of wheat, corn and barley in France
(in Mt)
16
14 000
14
12 000
12
10 000
10
8 000 8
20
09
-1
0
09/10
6 000 6
20
10
-1
1
10/11
20
11
-1
2
11/12
20
12
-1
3
12/13
20
13
-1
4
13/14
• On the domestic market, the two main uses are:
 > human and industrial uses (54% on average over the periods
2009/10 to 2013/14);
>feed uses.
Maize is mainly used for feed, whereas wheat is mainly destined
to human consumption and to the industry (bread making, starch
industry…). As for barley, in France it is primarily used to produce
malt (beer brewing and export towards third countries).
en 1 000 t.
CONSUMPTION
Human
and
Total
util. industrial
hum. et indus.
TRADE EXCHANGES • On average, over the periods 2009/10 to 2013/14:
> European Union is the first market (58% of French cereal sales); 14
> 60% of common wheat are exported to third countries, mainly 12
10
FAB
Animal feed
Evolution of French soft wheat exports
(in Mt)
14,0
12,0
10,0
Algeria and Morocco;
8
6
> European Union is the main market for French maize (94% of
4
exports). The Netherlands and Spain are the two first customers;
2
> 77% of the barley production are exported towards the
0
European Union, mainly towards BLEU and the Netherlands. Outside
of EU, Saudi Arabia, world’s first barley importer, is France first barley
customer.
8,0
6,0
4,0
2,0
0,0
FOCUS
European Union
2012/13
2013/14
12/13
2011/12
11/12
2010/11
10/11
2009/10
09/10
2008/09
08/09
2007/08
07/08
2006/07
06/07
2005/06
05/06
2004/05
04/05
2003/04
03/04
2002/03
02/03
2001/02
01/02
00/01
2000/01
Third countries
The excellence of French production
• On average, over the last 5 periods (2009/10 to 2013/14):
> France has exported almost half of its cereal production (31 Mt);
> France is EU’s 1st cereal exporter, the 2nd wheat exporter and the 1st processed cereal product exporter
in the world;
> French cereal exports account, in volume, for 40% of EU exports. Such results may be explained
by the quality of the soil and producers’ know-how. France is also near from structurally loss-making
consumption areas. The regularity of its production and the quality of its infrastructures are two other
main assets.
MAP OF MAIN EXPORT MARKETS
Cereals: Main export markets (% of total export volumes)
> to 10%
from 5 à 10%
from 2 to 5%
from 0 ,5 to 2%
‹ to 0,5%
President of the Specialised Council for cereals: Rémi Haquin / Publishing Director: Éric Allain
Sector delegate: Claire Lelièvre / Tel. +33 1 73 30 20 41
Mélanie Kuhn-Le Braz, Markets and Prospective Studies /[email protected] / Tel. +33 1 73 30 21 07
Thibaut Champagnol, Markets and Prospective Studies / [email protected] / Tel. +33 1 73 30 20 95
Coordination : Xavier Rousselin / [email protected] / Tel. +331 73 30 23 51
Design and production: Communication department graphic team PAO / printing: Arborial’s printing facility /
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www.franceagrimer.fr
Tel. : +33 1 73 30 30 00 / Fax : +33 1 73 30 30 30