2023-06-23 09:30:15
“Only 11% of French people consume it. Less than 300 grams per year and per inhabitant. For comparison, it is 1.5 kilograms in England and the Scandinavian countries. The blueberry will become more democratic in France”, predicts David-Alexandre Bertrant, producer in Ligny-le-Ribault in the Loiret of “La Myrtille de Sologne. »
According to him, the purplish-blue fruit, with its sweet flavor, has a great future. “It’s a food! smiles the farmer who boasts of its recognized health benefits: “It’s one of the berries that contains the most vitamin C and antioxidants. It is useful against the prevention of eye pathologies and blood circulation. »
For four years, between Chambord (Loir-et-Cher) and Orléans (Loiret), in the paradise of greenery and ponds of the family farm, he has been experimenting with some twenty varieties with his teams in a research and development center. of 5 hectares. “This is the lab! After the selection of the varieties, we produce on farms on a larger scale,” he adds.
More than fifty people hired for picking
On about thirty hectares, blueberries are grown according to the principles of sustainable agriculture. “They do not contain any pesticide residues. We use organic fertilizers. They regenerate the life of the soil to make the plant benefit from the services of biodiversity. »
More than fifty people will be hired for the harvest, which has just begun and will be spread over a period of two months. The Sologne blueberries will then be brought to the adjoining packaging workshop and placed in trays on site. Nearly one hundred tons should be marketed this year.
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