France is expected to see a sharp fall in the sowing of winter cereals after heavy rain disrupted field work in the European Union's largest grain producer, the farm ministry said on Tuesday.

In its first sowing estimates for next year's harvest, the ministry projected the country's area sown with soft wheat for the 2024 harvest at 4.49 million hectares, down 5.1% from the area harvested this year and a four-year low for sowing.

The winter barley area was pegged at 1.31 million hectares, down 4.0%, though that would be 3.1% above the average of the past five years.

For durum wheat, the variety used in pasta, the planted area was projected at 205,000 hectares, down 10.5% from this year's harvest and 15.7% below the five-year average.

"The abundant rain recorded since mid-October across the country has prevented field work and could lead to sowing being postponed to spring," the ministry said in a report.

The soggy conditions during autumn have raised concern that farmers will be unable to complete planting plans and that drilled crops will lose yield potential.

Wheat and rapeseed are almost exclusively winter crops in France whereas barley production includes a large amount of spring crop.

In contrast, the area sown with winter rapeseed, France's main oilseed crop, was estimated to be up 0.5% versus this year's harvest at 1.35 million hectares. Rapeseed is sown earlier than cereals in late summer.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jason Neely)