950830

"French rapeseed

output near

record"

PARIS: French repeseed yields will average 3.0 tonnes per hectare this year, up from 2.5 tonnes last year, lifting output towards a record, an industry group forecast.

French oilseed association FOP said in a bulletin yields were expected to reach 3.3 tonnes per ha in northenr France and 2.6 or 2.7 tonnes per ha in the south.

"If these figures are confirmed, production will be near the French record of 2.6million tonnes seen in 1987," it said.

The French farm ministry this month revised up its 1995 repeseed forecast to 2.625 million tonnes from its previous forecast of 2.436 million and a 1994 harvewt of 1.772 million.

Both yields and area are higher this year, with the recent repeseed harvest spread across 823,000 ha against last year's 761,000, the ministry said.

FOP said that area of rapeseed production earmarked for the food industry was basically stable at 500,000 ha. But the use of set-aside land for industrial purpose like energy had jumped to 335,000 ha from 191,000.

Problems affecting one hybrid variety of repeseed, Synergy, had reduced yields in parts of northeast France, it said.-Reuter