Paris 2024 Olympic Games: grain transport will be stopped for “six and a half days” on the Seine

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credit: Valentin Faivre / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 5:40 p.m., February 15, 2024

Cereal growers have obtained a small reduction in the duration of transport stoppages on the Seine, which will be “six and a half days” ahead of the Olympic Games, Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau announced on Thursday. The Seine will be closed to all navigation in the Paris region "from July 20 to 26" to prepare for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, said the prefect of the Ile-de-France region Marc Guillaume at a press conference alongside the minister.

This closure, initially set for ten days, was reduced to seven during discussions with professionals. “This tight schedule [to six and a half days], makes it possible to directly respond to the first concern [of cereal growers], that of being able to transport nonetheless, as often as possible, for as long as possible, outside of more restricted periods,” estimated the Minister of Agriculture. He acknowledged that "for a month and a half, there would be disruptions" for grain transport, in the middle of the harvest period.

“We hope that with the measures we take, we limit the risk of loss as much as possible”

“The measures are interesting, are positive,” judged the president of Intercéales, Jean-François Loiseau, during the conference, calling on state services to continue the work to “improve a few points, particularly during shutdowns” . Ninety-four parking spaces for grain barges have been identified upstream of the temporarily inaccessible zone and 177 will be provided downstream in order to “absorb all of the usual traffic during this period, which is around 250 boats” , detailed the Minister of Agriculture.

“The State has also satisfied the request to extend the hours of the locks”, which will close at midnight and no longer at 8 p.m. as previously decided, during the period of the Games, he added. Marc Fesneau also announced the upcoming establishment of a working group to assess "possible economic consequences" of interruptions to river traffic for the sector, without commenting on possible compensation in the event of losses.

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“We hope that with the measures we are taking, we limit the risk of loss as much as possible,” he declared. The cereal producers had initially feared a closure over the entire period of the Olympic Games, which "would have cost the sector 500 million euros, with additional costs in storage sites, silos, for transport, and labor. work...", Jean-François Lépy, responsible for logistical issues for Intercéales, was concerned in January.

The Seine is a “competitive” and “logistically very important” axis, recalled Jean-François Loiseau. Three million tonnes of cereals circulate there each year, including one million during the summer period alone. 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.