2023-07-15 10:00:07
In Bellegarde (Gard), in July 2014. SANDRA LAFFONT / AFP
The miraculous catch. Or almost. Remember. At the beginning of May, everyone was worried. The cultures of Roussillon smelt of scorch. The fear of running out of water at the tap led to a reduction in the volumes intended for watering. Would the peach and apricot trees be thirsty? Finally, the absence of scorching heat and the rains that fell in May and June revived the orchards.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Apricot producers expect prices to fall this year, after, it is true, a peak reached in 2021”
At a time when the Ministry of Agriculture weighs the current harvests, optimism is in order. Production of peaches, nectarines and nectarines should reach 231,000 tonnes. That is an increase of 1% compared to 2022 and 3% if we compare to the five-year average. The only downside to this perky summer refrain, the Gard and the Rhône valley suffered a little. Not from drought, but, respectively, from hail, wind and thunderstorms. In Occitania, the balance even indicates a 6% increase in volumes over one year.
In 2022, the intense heat had prevented the peaches from developing. As a result, small calibers reduced farmers’ ammunition. Nothing like this this year. Angling. Caliber A, the most popular, with its 67 to 71 millimeters under the fathom, and its 140 to 160 grams of sweet flesh under a fluffy skin, is at the forefront. A gourmet fruit ready to be tasted, but at what price? The question torments the minds of arboriculturists, like the oriental fruit moth (a devastating butterfly) the peach branch.
“Below production costs”
“For now, the fishing market is balanced. Caliber A trades at 2.50 euros per kilo at production. And caliber B must not fall below the 2 euro per kilo mark”affirms Bruno Darnaud, president of the Association of producer organization (AOP) Peaches and apricots of France, arborist in the Drôme.
But the tension is rising. “We are seeing price erosion. We are still seeing the presence of Spanish fruit in the north of France, while French production is in full swing. However, the abundant Spanish peaches are sold at 1 euro per kilo. Wholesalers and distributors make money », notes Mr. Darnaud. Indeed, the consumer hardly benefits from the downward trend on the other side of the border.
The pressure is even stronger on apricots whose prices have gone to shreds. The Spanish steamroller and its flood of ripened fruits all over the country are crushing prices. “We have gone below production costs”Mr. Darnaud is alarmed.
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