2024 Olympics: grain growers worried about navigation restrictions on the Seine

Games but no bread? French grain producers fear losses of several hundred million euros due to navigation restrictions on the Seine during the Olympic Games in the summer of 2024, at the height of the harvest period. “Every year, 3 million tonnes of grain circulate on the Seine to reach the seaport of Rouen. This is approximately 350,000 tonnes per month. But in July-August, at the height of the harvest period, we go up to 800,000 tonnes,” explains Jean-François Lépy, responsible for logistical issues for Intercéales, which brings together producers, cooperatives, traders and first processors.

As a safety measure and to allow the installation of equipment, the Île-de-France prefecture has decided to completely close navigation on the Seine "around seven days before the opening ceremony" of the Olympic Games, the July 26. For “less than 20 days”, over the period from July 27 to September 8, “last day of the Paralympic events”, navigation will be interrupted “between 2:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to allow the Olympic swimming events in the Seine”, specifies the prefecture.

Cereal growers initially feared a closure over the entire period: “this would have cost the sector 500 million euros, with additional costs in storage sites, silos, for transport, and labor. ..”, lists Jean-François Lépy, also boss of Soufflet Négoce by InVivo, a European grain trading giant. But, even reduced to a period of seven or eight days, the closure of the Seine is experienced as “a catastrophe” in the leading European producer and exporter of cereals.

While, under the effect of global warming, the harvests are brought forward each year, the first barleys will arrive at the beginning of July, followed by wheat and rapeseed, followed by the first sunflowers and corn at the end of August-beginning of September. Mountains of grain then leave the farms to reach the secondary river ports upstream of the Seine, at Melun, Grigny, Bonneuil or Nogent-sur-Marne. A noria of small barges crosses Paris to reach Rouen, the port at the bottom of the estuary through which half of French cereal exports pass today.

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We go from a size of 1000 tonnes in a small port like Nogent to barges of 2 to 2500 tonnes on the Seine, then ships of 30 to 50,000 tonnes are loaded in Rouen, before reaching the open sea, direction Casablanca, Abidjan or China aboard sea giants. “If the flows are blocked upstream, we do not have the capacity to load and respect our contracts: the problem, for storage organizations, cooperatives and traders, has repercussions in cascade, with penalties for boats immobilized at the quay , and at the end of the chain, delivery delays and penalties for exporters,” explains Alain Charvillat, responsible for cereal exports at the agro-logistician Sénalia, which carries out 25% of French cereal exports by sea. .

Each stage involves transshipment, storage in transit silos, controls, compliance with lock or tide schedules... a logistical headache that can be anticipated. “We had a first meeting in the prefecture in the fall: it was already too late to consider a postponement on rail transport, which requires anticipation of a year and a half”, without counting the additional costs, affirms Jean-François Lépy.

The truck is not an option: “To move 1,500 tonnes, you need 50 trucks, and during harvest time, we already have a shortage of drivers,” he adds. To limit damage, the inter-professional association is asking to be able to organize “two exceptional convoys of 20 to 30 barges” during the total closure period of one week, “which would help relieve congestion in the ports”. But for the moment, "it's no": "It's not possible with everything that has to be implemented for the opening ceremony in terms of structures, pontoons, decorations and security", indicates we go to the regional prefecture.

“Without these convoys, if the harvests are early – and this is a probability – delays will accumulate, with piles of grain in the open air waiting for transport and storage,” underlines Alain Charvillat, who fears “great risk of loss in the event of bad weather”. A new meeting is planned at the prefecture on January 19. On the prefecture side and cereal producers, we are “looking for solutions”, we assure.