All raspberry production basins in France are now active at the beginning of July. “With average temperatures in May, this year’s harvest was not early, unlike in 2022. The last high-altitude basins started picking last week. The campaign has also begun in the north of France and it is in full swing in the Rhône-Alpes and southwestern regions,” explains Emeline Vanespen, director of the Association of French Strawberry Producers.
From this week onwards, raspberry volumes should intensify to fill up the supermarket shelves with French products. Unfortunately, in terms of marketing, French raspberries are still encountering some difficulties. “There are a lot of imported raspberries in supermarkets, which compete with our origin. The rate of consumption of the French origin is only 15%. In other words, 85% of the raspberries consumed in France come from abroad. The biggest challenge in French raspberry sales is to open lines in supermarkets and to maintain them. Like strawberries, raspberries are a very weather-sensitive crop, which can easily experience peaks or dips in production. Sometimes, it can be difficult to supply the lines, which encourages supermarkets to import rather than sell domestic products.”
However, with only 15% of consumption and a demand growing year after year, the French raspberry sector has enough potential to encourage some growers to take the plunge. “It is a fast-growing market, which means that there is still plenty of room for producers who want to diversify into raspberries. The more production increases, the more chances we will have of establishing the French product in supermarkets, to preserve the lines and reduce the presence of imports, especially at the height of the season. French consumers are eating more and more raspberries and there is a real interest in developing their production in France.”
For more information:
Emeline Vanespen
AOPn Fraises de France
[email protected]