The winter wheat harvest in France began in July and was fully completed in mid-to-late July. The winter wheat area and production pattern largely continued from the previous monitoring period: the planted area of winter wheat expanded slightly, from 5,636 thousand hectares in 2025 to 5,692 thousand hectares in 2026, a year-on-year increase of 1.0%. The yield per unit area of winter wheat in France in 2026 is estimated at 8,072 kg/ha, an increase of 4.63% from 7,715 kg/ha in 2025. Total winter wheat production in France in 2026 is 45.95 million tonnes, up 5.67% from 43.48 million tonnes in the previous year. The pattern of simultaneous increases in area, yield and total production remained unchanged.

France experienced hot and dry agroclimatic conditions from July to September: TEMP was 2.7°C above the 15-year average (15YA), with the national average temperature in July reaching 24.9°C, setting a new record for the hottest July on record. RADPAR was 9% above average and RAIN was 55% below average. The hot and dry agroclimatic conditions caused the winter wheat harvest to proceed significantly earlier than in previous years, generally characterized by an “early start and rapid completion.” 

Overall, winter wheat benefited from above-average temperatures and sufficient sunshine in the earlier stage, as well as reduced water demand during the maturation stage. However, persistent heatwaves during this monitoring period adversely affected summer crops such as maize. The PDSI and CWSI indices continued to indicate drought conditions. Crop production exhibited a divergent pattern of “steady-to-modest increase in winter wheat and reduced production of summer crops.”

Figure 1 Distribution of winter wheat in the main producing regions of France, 2026

Figure 2 Distribution of winter wheat yield in the main producing regions of France, 2026