French operators last Friday requestedlicences to export 10,500 tonnes of free market maize, 11,950
tonnes of free market barley and 13,000 of soft wheat flour to
non-EC countries, at prefixed daily (droit commun) rebates,
French trade sources said.
    The latest requests for the maize were for export to
Switzerland, Austria and Lichtenstein at a maximum daily rebate
prefixed last Friday at 141 Ecus a tonne against a previous 20
Ecu daily rebate.
    The special daily rebate for maize was set in the context
of a Commission commitment to grant this season rebates for the
export of 500,000 tonnes of French maize to non-EC countries,
in compensation for concessions to the U.S. in the recent
dispute over grain sales to Spain.
    If the latest French requests are accepted as expected,
this will bring the total of French maize exported in this
context to 25,500 tonnes.
    The Commission last Thursday granted weekly rebates for the
sale of 15,000 tonnes of free market maize to non-EC countries.
    Requests for barley were for export to Switzerland, Austria
and Lichtenstein, Ceuta and Melilla at an unchanged pre-fixed
restitution of 125 Ecus a tonne, while requests for soft wheat
flour were for export to various non-EC countries at an
unchanged 178 Ecus a tonne.
 Reuter
