Grain export terminal operator Senalia expects its volumes in 2025/26 to double from last season after a rebound in French harvest production and amid brisk demand for barley, the company said on Friday.
France is the European Union's biggest grain supplier and Rouen on the river Seine in Normandy its main grain export hub. The rain-hit 2024 harvest cut its export surplus and left port terminals idle for part of the season.
Cooperative-owned Senalia forecasts that it will load 3.8 million metric tons of cereals in the current July-June season, up from 1.8 million in 2024/25 and matching its volume from two years ago, Alain Charvillat, Senalia’s head of cereal exports, told reporters.
The anticipated rise includes 1.7 million tons already loaded in the July-December period, he said.
In addition to increased harvest supply, export activity has been boosted by strong demand for animal-feed barley. Senalia was scheduled to load a rare barley cargo for Iraq soon, which will add to a range of markets supplied in the Middle East and North Africa that have helped offset a lull in Chinese demand since the summer, Charvillat said.
"We're competitive on price and we've got this multitude of destinations," he said of barley.
MORE CHALLENGING MARKET FOR WHEAT
Senalia was currently handling as much barley as wheat, though over the season it expected wheat to retain its usual predominance over barley with around a 60%-40% split in volumes, he added.
The market context was more challenging for wheat, with France shut out of the Algerian market due to diplomatic tensions and China no longer buying French wheat, he said.
Morocco is set to remain France's main wheat export destination this season. Charvillat said while Argentina was creating extra competition there, initial reports suggested milling quality from the South American country's new crop may be less attractive than in French wheat.
(Reuters)
