PARIS, FRANCE — Total grain shipments from French ports to non-European Union destinations last month reached 2.05 million tonnes, the highest total for a February in at least a decade, according to Refinitv loading data, suggesting an easing of strikes against pension reform helped exporters take advantage of brisk demand.

The shipments included barley, malting barley, maize, waxy maize and durum wheat.

 Refinity data also showed that French soft wheat shipments outside the EU last month reached their highest level for a February in at least 10 years.

Soft wheat exports to destinations outside the EU totaled 1.46 million tonnes, the highest February volume in figures going back to the 2009-10 season, an initial estimate based on Refinitiv loading data showed.

The February shipments to non-EU destinations also marked the biggest monthly volume so far in the 2019-20 season that started last July, surpassing an estimated 1.2 million tonnes both January and December.

February’s wheat exports from France included about 122,000 tonnes shipped to China, indicating a run of exports there this season was continuing after no vessels were loaded in January.

An additional 65,000 tonnes of wheat along with 65,700 tonnes of malting barley are due to be shipped to China at the beginning of March, with the ships currently waiting to load.

China was the third-highest export destination for French wheat, behind Algeria with 578,000 tonnes and Morocco with 322,000 tonnes.