Benoit Labouille, head of SCEA Pinchagut and SCEA Bio Pinchagut, both based in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, welcomes their 10th sweet potato season. He looks back on the French campaign, which has just come to a close, and on the challenges of the season, in terms of production and sales.
"No storage problems this year"
Due to warm temperatures, the 2022 campaign had started early, but the 2023/24 campaign started on August 30st, almost 4 days later, with more complicated growing conditions than last year. "There were a lot of climatic ups and downs. The rain and cold in May, during the planting phase, resulted in some losses (cuttings). Then, in the second half of June, the hot and humid weather made it difficult to control weeds mechanically and increased the need for manual weeding. 300mm of rain also fell at the end of October, bringing the harvest to a halt. "Finally, in mid-November, the good weather returned and we managed to harvest what was left by doubling the shifts. One very positive aspect of this campaign is that the storage conditions were perfect. "The sweet potatoes held up very well during curing, unlike the major rotting problems we experienced 3 years ago after a similar wet spell when the harvest was not yet complete."
Strong competition from Egypt
The campaign got off to a good start with "a strong interest for the French origin at the beginning of the season and commitments from French retailers," but from mid-December onwards, foreign competition has put the French sweet potato at a disadvantage. We really felt the competition from Spain and especially from Egypt during this campaign. While French production remains important in French consumers' purchasing decision, there is no doubt that price is decisive in the current context! When price differences double, with foreign sweet potatoes sold in stores for less than 1.50 € [1.63 USD], consumers go for the lowest price," explains Benoit.
Christmas promotional actions in supermarkets often cause French sweet potatoes to lose some market share, but they usually regain their place the following month. "This year, however, the actions lasted until January, so we did not get back into a good rhythm until February." Faced with ever-increasing demand, French production continues to rise, but Benoit Labouille warns that it is vital that prices remain well above import prices, or the situation on the market could get complicated. Our yields are still lower and our labor costs are too high compared with those of foreign competitors."
Packaging developments
SCEA de Pinchagut produces conventional and organic sweet potatoes on almost 40 hectares. An increase in the area under cultivation is currently underway. Additionally, the company continues to invest in improving its storage and packaging conditions in order to "perfect the curing and storage phase, increase its flexibility to meet its clients' needs and facilitate the work of its teams."
For more information:
SCEA de Pinchagut
Pinchagut 33113 Bourideys
[email protected]