As the season begins, market stalls begin to fill with delicious, colorful and sweet fruits. However, the price war risks making the experience less tasty for consumers with varying quantities and prices. As for peaches and apricots, it is a time of confusion due to the storms that have followed one another in recent weeks in the south of the country. French cherries, a little less numerous, are a little more expensive this year. One of the favorites of the summer, the melon is about to invade all the tables. And good news, we should not miss it this year.
France could face a slight delay in its production. The apricot and nectarine harvests are delayed by two to three weeks compared to the previous year. However, there is no need to worry, as an abundance of fruit is expected in the coming weeks.
A study by the Pyrenees Chamber of Agriculture, relayed by Le Parisien, reveals that the apricot harvest will be particularly generous this year, with an estimated loot of 126,000 tonnes, or 16% more than the average for the last three years. Peaches and nectarines are also plentiful, with significant quantities hitting the shelves. Some brands, such as Auchan, have even already switched to 100% French products in bulk, to meet growing demand.
This abundance of fruit does not mean that everything is perfect. The cherries were hit hard by the heavy rains. In addition, an Asian fly, against which it is now forbidden to use the insecticide, nibbles the fruits, thus reducing the quality of the harvests.
These constraints related to phytosanitary products create a division in agriculture, as Françoise Roche underlines for the daily newspaper Ile-de-France. According to her, this leads to “a French agriculture reserved for the rich” while imported products benefit from fewer restrictions. However, despite these challenges, seasonal fruits should be available in sufficient quantities to satisfy French consumers this summer.
Here is, according to Le Parisien, the price list of the essential fruits of the summer, at the supermarket and at the market.
