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FRANCE, in western Europe, consists of the northern plains of the Paris Basin, vast plateaus in the central parts, and mountainous regions in the south. The total area is 552,000 km2. Only 4% of the workforce in its 1999 population of 59 million was engaged in agriculture, although arable land covers one-third of the country. Agriculture accounts for only 3% of the GDP. There are extensive rice-growing areas in the Camargue region on the Mediterranean coast of France. General information - GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 24,420
- Internal renewable water resources: 170 km3
- Incoming water flow: 15 km3
- Main food consumed: wheat, meat, oil and fat, milk, sugar and honey
- Rice consumption, 1999: 4.7 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
Rice yield has stagnated since 1990. There are several constraints to sustainable rice production: - Low temperature
- Stagnation of the yield potential of rice varieties
- High production costs
- Blast
- Red rice
Production season | | | | Planting | Harvesting | Main season | Apr-May | Sep-Oct | Basic statistics, France |
| 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Rice | Area harvested (ha) | 11,200 | 20,400 | 25,200 | 18,420 | 16,970 | 18,565 | Yield (t/ha) | 5.5 | 5.9 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.8 | Production (t) | 61,560 | 121,300 | 122,400 | 107,300 | 103,250 | 107,000 | Rice imports (t) | 283,169 | 265,758 | 280,993 | 379,973 | 394,092 | na | Paddy imports (t) | 31,985 | 8,431 | 8,663 | 7,787 | 7,494 | na | Rice exports (t) | 17,897 | 43,831 | 74,373 | 61,455 | 74,942 | na | Paddy exports (t) | 1,832 | 5,977 | 31,888 | 32,385 | 32,212 | na | Others | Population, total (x103) | 55,170 | 56,718 | 58,020 | 58,683 | 58,886 | na | Population, agriculture (x103) | 3,794 | 3,115 | 2,493 | 2,173 | 2,075 | na | Agricultural area (x103 ha) | 31,442 | 30,570 | 30,059 | 29,944 | na | na | Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) | 1,050 | 1,300 | 1,630 | 2,000 | na | na | Total fertilizer consumption (t) | 5,694,700 | 5,683,000 | 4,914,500 | 4,831,000 | na | na | Tractors used in agric. (no.) | 1,491,200 | 1,440,000 | 1,311,700 | 1,270,000 | na | na | Source: FAOSTAT online database. | Click here for a pdf of this information
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