ESTIMATED FRENCH BARLEY STOCKS WORRYING - ONIC

  The size of French 1986/87 carryover
  barley stocks, estimated at 1.72 mln tonnes compared with
  700,000 tonnes in 1985/86 is worrying, French Cereals
  Intervention Office (ONIC) Director Bernard Vieux said.
      He told journalists these estimates were unchanged at the
  end of February from the previous month while export forecasts
  were lowered to 4.5 mln tonnes from 5.76 mln in 1985/86.
      Vieux called on the EC Commission to help by awarding a
  larger volume of export certificates and said if no outlets are
  opened for French barley a large amount could be put into
  intervention.
      A small amount of French barley has already been put into
  intervention, Vieux said without detailing the amount.
      The outlook for French maize is better with 1986/87 exports
  to non-EC countries now put at 700,000 tonnes against 200,000
  tonnes at the end of January and against 155,000 tonnes in
  1985/86.
      The higher estimate is due to the EC Commission's decision
  to hold special export tenders for French maize, he said.
  

