Our summer series dedicated to the ports of the world takes us to Rouen, in the north-west of France. First grain port in Western Europe, it is carried in spite of itself by the consequences of the war...

ports of the world

The port of Rouen, an emergency breadbasket in the face of the crisis

Audio 03:43

The bulk carrier Union Groove, loaded with wheat for Algeria, a historic customer back to ensure its supply.

By: Aabla Jounaïdi Follow

4 mins

Our summer series dedicated to the ports of the world takes us to Rouen, in the north-west of France.

The leading grain port in Western Europe, it is carried despite itself by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

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It's the end of the harvest in Normandy.

Trucks unload tons of wheat and barley into port silos.

Those of Simarex, owned by the Natup agricultural cooperative, do not know any respite.

To load the boats, as in any port, you have to go very quickly.

An obvious fact that Patrick Aps, the general manager of Natup reminds us: “

In port tools, and logistics in general, the cost divider is volume.
The more volumes we make, the more we have a positive risk of profitability.
We have to be responsive and efficient all the time, at least not to lose money

”.

Dry year... good harvests

It is still necessary that these volumes are insured.

And they are more so than ever, thanks to the vast Rouen hinterland.

At the wheel of his combine harvester, and under a radiant sun, Antoine Declercq, a farmer for 26 years, travels the last meters to harvest the wheat.

The drought resulted in very early harvests this year.

I harvested barley on July 6, which had never happened to me

," says the man who is also a member of the Natup cooperative.

Very early harvests due to climatic hazards, but which have their positive aspect.

In Normandy, dry years are years when yields are quite good, and that's the case this year

," smiles the farmer, who is also worried about rising fertilizer costs.

Antoine Declercq finishes the harvest of his wheat, very early this year © RFI / Aabla Jounaidi

The 2021-2022 campaign which is coming to an end has made it possible to export at least 7.7 million tonnes from the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris.

Of these, one million were processed by Simarex silos.

The Natup cooperative tool is equipped to compose homogeneous batches that meet customer requirements.

Especially those from North Africa.

“

The specifications for Egypt, Algeria and North Africa in general are quite similar, but at high levels in terms of qualitative specificities,

explains Patrick Aps.

It is then up to us to ensure that we provide this material for these specificities

,” he continues.

Export records

In recent years, the port of Rouen has broken export records, especially barley for Chinese cattle.

The port has adapted its infrastructure to accommodate large-scale vessels such as Panamax, these bulk carriers with a capacity of 50,000 to 80,000 tonnes.

But at the quay, that day, it was the bulk carrier

Union Groove

which was preparing to leave Rouen, heading for the Maghreb, loaded with more than 30,000 tonnes of wheat.

He will be followed by three other starters for the same destination.

“

There, we are on a boat for Algeria.
The next, the

Juno

will be for Tunisia.
The next one, the

Maria

, I believe, will also be for the OPCW, again, Algeria.
And finally, we will have another one that will go to Mauritania

», explains Antoine Grasser, head of marketing at Natup.

The closure of the Black Sea caused by the war in Ukraine has prompted several countries such as Egypt and Algeria to turn to Rouen and its hinterland... whatever the cost.

Cereal price volatility has never been so great.

“

Today, we have the feeling that they are looking for food security for their population.
So, these customers, they have an obligation to appropriate the goods, as if at some point on earth, we were going to run out.
They are ready to pay any price for the goods

,” sums up the manager.

Thanks to the war, the panic of the importing countries made the port of Rouen gain market share.

But those in charge of the cooperative do not claim victory.

In port, as in the field, we know that no year is like another.

A combine harvester in the Rouen hinterland fifty kilometers from the port of Rouen.

The ports of the world - The port of Rouen, breadbasket of relief in the face of the crisis

The port of Rouen, an emergency breadbasket in the face of the crisis

Dry year... good harvests

Export records

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