Winter barley production in France is expected to rebound sharply this year on the back of above-average yields, but the rapeseed crop is seen shrinking to a 20-year low after a decline in area, the farm ministry said on Tuesday.

In its first production forecasts for 2021, the ministry projected the winter barley crop at 7.74 million tonnes, up 19.3% from last year though 6.4% below the average of the past five years.

The rise in production in the upcoming harvest would be mainly due to an anticipated rise in yield to 6.41 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) from 5.52 t/ha in 2020, surpassing the five-year average, the ministry said.

The winter barley crop area is estimated to have edged up to 1.21 million hectares from 1.18 million last year.

In contrast, winter rapeseed production was forecast to fall 9.2% to 2.95 million tonnes, below 3 million for the first time in 20 years, it said. That is 32% below the five-year mean.

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