Demand for red fruit soars
07 October 2022
Article published in L’Oise Agricole
At its national day devoted to the production of red berries (raspberries, bilberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and blackberries) on 27 September in Aisne, the CTIFL (interprofessional technical centre for fruit and vegetables) reviewed market trends and the latest technical advances for 300 professionals.
Photo, from left to right: Xavier Martin, President of SAS Lagache, Laurent Derflinger, Purchasing Manager for Lidl France, Franck Figuet, President of the Association pour la Valorisation de la Framboise Française, Stéphane Decourcelle, Director of Fresh Produce at Fruits Rouges et Co, Mathilde Pereira, Buyer at Prosol, Grégory Renaud, Variety Developer at Earth Market. – © G.T
The market for small fruit, with raspberries and bilberries at the top of the sales list, is booming. Consumption of raspberries has risen from 5,000 tonnes in 2012 to over 20,000 tonnes in 2021. The same goes for blueberries, with consumption rising from 1,000 tonnes in 2012 to 8,000 tonnes a year in 2021, with French production still at around 1,000 tonnes. So why is the French soft fruit industry struggling to supply these volumes? Six professionals tried to answer this question at a round table discussion entitled “How to develop production and encourage self-sufficiency in French red berries”. All were unanimous: French production needs to be increased. But it’s not that easy. Producers have to contend with a number of constraints, including the climate, increased foreign competition, a shortage of labour, an industry that needs to be built up, and a lack of communication.
Drawing on research
A flagrant lack of French production is forcing retailers to source fruit from abroad all year round. “Imported products are of increasingly high quality in terms of both taste and shelf life,” says Laurent Derflinger, head of purchasing at Lidl France. Even if distributors intend to give priority to French origin and local produce, the offer is not there. “We need to find a variety that tastes good and is specific to the market”, says Grégory Renaud, variety developer at Earth Market. Franck Figuet, a raspberry grower in the Rhône-Alpes region and president of the association for the promotion of French raspberries, admits that the Spanish, Italians and Swiss are doing better and better. For the same quality, distributors prefer to turn to imports, which are often more competitive. This is why, according to the speakers, we need to find a variety with superior taste potential, greater productivity and robustness. Producers are counting on research and innovation to help improve supply and stagger production. For Grégory Renaud, we also need to look at robotics and decision-support tools to make up for the ban on synthetic molecules in France – and not abroad – and bring down production costs. Mechanical weeding, for example, and other techniques are currently being tested.
Building a strong industry
But it is also by building a strong industry that growers intend to make their mark. According to the speakers, the raspberry sector is still fragmented. For Stéphane Decourcelle, head of fresh fruit at Fruits Rouges & Co, “it’s in our interests to band together to be able to make proposals and absorb climate-related shocks”. These comments were backed up by Xavier Martin, head of SAS Lagache, who added that “grouping together could only be beneficial in terms of enhancing the value of our products and structuring supply more effectively by contracting production at minimum prices offering greater visibility for growers and distributors”. To achieve this, it is important to know your costs,” warned Franck Figuet, “and to have remunerative selling prices. “An increase in the value of products would ensure that existing farms are maintained and encourage young people to set up in the red berry sector”. Mathilde Pereira, buyer for Prosol, returned to the importance of protecting crops. “The red berry sector is very much affected by the weather. In recent years, we’ve had hail, frost, heatwaves and rain, all of which impact on our supplies. We adapt according to volumes, but we need to protect ourselves against these risks. The solution is to be able to cover your orchards with tunnels, nets or photovoltaic panels”.
Communication at every level
Genetic and varietal improvement, the creation of a strong industry, contractualisation of production… these are some of the levers proposed by the speakers. But there’s one more, and not the least important: communication. First and foremost between professionals. “Good communication between upstream and downstream will make it easier to manage production ups and downs and to anticipate. What’s important is that we have producers and that it’s profitable for everyone,” explains Laurent Derflinger, who sources 98% of his blueberries from France at the height of the season.
Then there’s the general public: red berries are a pleasure to buy. So we need to encourage consumers to taste them, then buy them and come back again, with advertising campaigns, but also by promoting the product directly from the distributor. Bulk or refrigerated cabinets for better preservation of the product are among the solutions, as is the positioning of the product in the shop. “10 years ago, France consumed 4g of bilberries per person per year. Today it’s 100g. The English eat 800g and the Americans 1.2kg. There’s a real chance that consumption will rise.
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