West European countries

France-Belgium-the Netherlands

The growth of flax is going on well in all areas. Last week in Calvados the first sown flax were 10 to 12 cm high.

The temperatures have started to increase, which is good for the growth, moreover rain is forecast in the coming days.

Below some pictures that were taken in Calvados on May 4:

Et dans le Pas-de-Calais à la même date :

East European countries

Belarus

45.000 to 55.000 ha of flax should be sown this year whereas it was around 43.000 ha in 2015.

The sowings are now over in the south-west and west region. They are still being done in the Central, North and East regions. They are expected to be finished within one week.

The flax is growing in good conditions. In some places they are up to 4-6 cm. On those fields a chemical treatment is being done.

Egypt

The flax sown surface is more important than last year: it is around 6.000 to 6.500 ha while it was 4.250 ha in 2015.

The seeds yield will be lower than in 2015 as there was rain right after the blossom and then the weather was particularly hot. As a consequence there were few seeds in the flowers. The seeds yield is expected to be 75 to 100 kg per hectare while it was 175 to 200 kg in 2015.

The flax plants are between 80 and 110 cm high.

The straw yield is expected to be lower than last year.

The farmers have started to put the flax in water tanks. The flax that were sown at first should be on the market at the end of May or early June.