Four vessels are due to call at French ports to load barley for China, marking the first such shipments for the 2026/27 season that begins in July, data compiled by LSEG showed on Friday.
China has in recent years been the largest export market outside the European Union for French barley, with more than 1 million metric tons loaded in the 2025/26 season.
The vessels, which will each load around 60,000 tons, are due to call at the northern port of Rouen next week before topping up at the west coast port of La Pallice, LSEG data showed.
Traders said several more barley cargoes are expected to load for China this summer, with estimates of the total volume ranging between 400,000 and 800,000 tons.
Another vessel is due to call at La Pallice next week to load the first cargo of French wheat for China in two years, LSEG data also showed.
However, traders said no other wheat shipments to China are currently expected.
Barley tends to lead start-of-season exports from France, the EU's biggest grain producer, because it is harvested before other major cereals like wheat.
A record heatwave has accelerated harvesting. By Monday, 42% of the winter barley crop had been gathered against a five-year average of 14% for the same week, farm office FranceAgriMer said.
(Reuters)
