French farmer' switch out of barley has proved even stronger than had been thought, with soft wheat plantings for this year's harvest now estimated to have risen by 3.7%.

France's farm ministry has raised by 30,000 hectares, to 4.92m hectares, its estimate of sowings of the grain, of which the country is the European Union's biggest producer.

The increase, which left sowings some 3% below the record set two seasons ago, was reflected in all regions apart from Picardy, where plantings were seen as stable.

The estimate for sowings of durum wheat, the type used in pasta, was also raised, by 17,000 hectares to 462,000 hectares, a level 13.5% higher year on year.

Barley continues to be a loser in the plantings war, with sowings estimated at 1.24m hectares, down 30,000 hectares on the ministry's last estimate and representing a year-on-year decline of 6.3%.

The ministry estimated French rapeseed sowings at 1.46m hectares, an area down 0.4% year on year.