Soft wheat shipments outside the 27-member bloc are now seen at 10.1 million tonnes, up from 10.0 million in July, FranceAgriMer said in a cereal supply and demand outlook.

France, the EU’s biggest wheat producer, recorded a small drop in output this year after drought but benefited from hefty demand over the summer as war in Ukraine disrupted Black Sea exports.

“There remains, however, some uncertainty for the rest of the campaign due to the conflict in Ukraine,” Paul Le Bideau of FranceAgriMer’s grains unit told reporters.

A deal on the corridor that allows Ukraine to ship grains out of the Black Sea is set to expire in late November.

In contrast, the office cut its forecast French soft wheat exports within the 27-member bloc this season to 7.07 million tonnes from 7.13 million previously, now 12% below 2021/22.

The French maize harvest this year is expected to be the smallest in three decades, as exceptionally hot and dry summer weather damaged crops.