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[Sown Area Quietly Reshaped, European Agricultural Market Shifts] ⑴ At dawn on December 17th, Beijing time, the French agricultural department released its first forecast for the 2026 planting structure, with the core signal pointing to an overall rebound in winter crop acreage. ⑵ The winter wheat planting area is projected to reach 4.56 million hectares, an increase of 2.3% year-on-year. Although still slightly below the five-year average, it continues to expand against the backdrop of weakening prices, reflecting the resilience of planting intentions. ⑶ The winter rapeseed acreage is projected to rise to 1.34 million hectares, a significant increase of 6.4% year-on-year, hitting a three-year high and becoming the crop with the most significant increase in this round of forecasts. ⑷ Behind the expansion of rapeseed planting is the reality that its price is more attractive than that of grains, also showing that European farmers are actively adjusting their income structure. ⑸ The winter barley acreage is projected to be 1.23 million hectares, an increase of 3.1% year-on-year, but still 2.2% lower than the average for 2021-2025, indicating a relatively moderate recovery pace. (6) The planted area for Durham wheat is projected at 199,000 hectares, slightly higher than the 30-year low reached this year, indicating that the variety is still in a low-level recovery phase. (7) French sources indicate that the overall growth of winter crops is currently better than the same period last year, consistent with previous assessments of improved crop ratings, providing a foundation for subsequent yields. (8) Among harvested crops, the 2025 corn production forecast has been revised upward to 13.6 million tons, but is still 8.4% lower than the previous high-yield year, indicating limited supply recovery. (9) For sugar beets, the 2025 production forecast has been revised upward to 35.55 million tons, an increase of 9.1% year-on-year, with improved yields offsetting the impact of declining planted area.