PARIS - France is expected to harvest 13.2 million tons of grain maize this year, down 28 percent from a record 18.3 million in 2014, after farmers sowed less of the cereal and dry, hot weather hurt yield potential, the farm ministry said on Monday.
In its first estimate of the 2015 maize crop, the ministry projected an average yield of 8.3 tonnes per hectare, down from 10.4 tonnes per hectare last year. It put the area at 1.59 million hectares, down from 1.76 million.
The ministry lifted its estimate of the soft wheat harvest to 39.3 million tons from 37.9 million tons last month and 37.5 million in 2014.
