65% of the market based on produce grown in France
And yet, despite all of this, local production is not enough to cover this growing demand for natural and authentic food. If one excludes exotic products that cannot be grown in mainland France – or only in very limited areas – such as bananas, avocados and lemons, French fruit and vegetables account for approximately 65% of the organic market. The remaining third of the volumes consumed are therefore imported, mostly from other European Union countries. But there are no guarantees that this trend will continue, and self-sufficiency for organic fruit and vegetables is possible if preference is given to local production and if conventional producers who decide to switch over to organic practices are given support.
Higher costs, lower yield
Converting a farm to organic production methods is not without its challenges. “Phasing out synthetic fertilisers and chemical phytosanitary products means more labour is needed for monitoring, handling and weeding crops", says Agnès Chevalier, business manager of the Rougeline farmers' co-operative consortium. These are additional costs, because at the same time, yield will fall by 20 to 40%, depending on the variety". Furthermore, producers making the switch have to wait two to three years, depending on the crops, before being awarded official Agriculture biologique certification. A delicate transition period. "It's complicated from a financial perspective, because there is no direct return on investment, even though organic specifications are adhered to starting in the first year of conversion", adds Jean Pratx from Le Verger Bio de Véronique, an apricot and pomegranate grower from the Pyrénées-Orientales region.