“With the drop in production and surfaces having reached their limit,” the association of producers Tomatoes and Cucumbers of France, denounces “the lack of investment by French public authorities and the multiplication of regulatory constraints, leading each year to an increase in the share of imported tomatoes on the French market.” In 2022, tomato imports into France amounted to 425,552 tons, compared with 357,118 tons in 2021, an increase of 19%. On the French market, Moroccan tomatoes (mainly cherry tomatoes) account for 63% of the imported volumes.
*source: French Customs
Drop in French production and numerous constraints for the sector
According to a note from the French Ministry of Agriculture, as of September 1st, French tomato production is set to drop by 13% in 2023, to 457,000 tons. This decline is due to a 13% year-on-year drop in greenhouse production. Yields should level off as a result of the diversification of acreage towards old varieties and small fruits, with lower yields. With France's supply rate averaging just 58% between 2019 and 2021, Tomatoes and Cucumbers of France fears that the situation will get worse.
Due to the lack of light at the start of the 2023 season and the rise in production costs, sometimes forcing growers to postpone planting, the tomato sector “has had to cope with a number of cyclical constraints compromising its productivity.” The association of producers also points the finger at the “multiple regulatory measures that are not adapted to the realities in the field,” referring to the AGEC law with its “successive application decrees, and the European regulations currently being drawn up.” This “regulatory instability risks generating additional investment costs in packaging equipment that could have been avoided, for the most part.”
Increase in Moroccan imports
According to the association, the drop in French production has been benefitting the Moroccan sector, which is recording “record figures once again for the 2022/2023 season. With over 700,000 tons exported to Europe, 51% of which to France, Moroccan tomatoes benefit from ultra-favorable trade agreements and a lack of clear labeling of their origin.”
French producers have been warning about this situation since 2022. Following a request from Légumes de France, two “labeling” operations were organized in supermarkets, in September 2022 and in early June 2023. Producers denounced the overabundance of Moroccan tomatoes on the shelves, the similarity of the packaging of both origins, and called on French retailers to promote the French production.
Labeling operation in September 2022
The Sovereignty Plan “is not keeping its promises”
With very few greenhouse construction or renovation projects currently underway, Jean-Pierre La Noë, president of Tomatoes and Cucumbers of France, wonders “what happened to the fruit and vegetable sovereignty plan, which clearly is not keeping its promises,” adding that “producers are waiting for strong signals to invest.” The sector is therefore asking the government for “a genuine development and investment plan, along with increased support for the renovation of French greenhouses,” as the sector risks “gradually disappearing in favor of imports.”
For more information:
AOPn Tomates et Concombres de France
[email protected]
tomates-de-france.com