What does the new French walnut campaign look like?

The situation has reversed for the French walnut sector. 2022 was marked with overproduction, but this year, the harvest should be smaller. Fabien Joffre, president of the Professional union for walnuts, walnut kernels and walnut oil from Perigord, explains the situation as the new season gets underway.

France is the leading producer of walnuts in the European Union, with an average of 40,000 tons a year. The French walnut sector has two production areas: the southwest (Perigord walnuts) and the southeast (Grenoble walnuts). Walnuts from Perigord are produced in 4 departments: Dordogne, Lot, Corrèze and Charente.

Production of Perigord walnuts down by 30% this year
The walnut-growing sector went through an "unprecedented market crisis" in 2022. The excess of production was difficult to sell in a saturated world market, which led to a drop in prices. In 2024, walnut trees suffered greatly from weather hazards, so the harvest should be smaller, especially in the Perigord, with 30% less than in 2023. The southeast is doing much better this year. But for us, it is one third of the 2022 harvest, with major disparities between the valley and the plateau." Fabien Joffre, president of the Organization for the Defence and Management of the Perigord walnut, describes the situation as "catastrophic." The excess water in winter and spring, and the cold weather in spring are likely to have an impact on harvests in future years."

The global market should improve
France is not alone in having to cope with a drop in volumes, as production problems have been affecting two major producing countries. "The world market is set to improve, with Chile reporting a drop in volumes, including lower kernel yields this year, and the United States reporting a drop of 100,000 tons (out of the 700,000 tons produced annually) for this season, due to problems related to aging orchards and extremely high temperatures. Cases of blight have also been reported."

Priority to renovate orchards
Last year, the Professional Union for Perigord Walnuts reviewed its communications to promote consumption, but this year, the priorities have changed. "There is a partnership with Grenoble walnuts for a joint promotional operation, but the priority is now set on production, because the harvest is small. We need to concentrate on restructuring and renovating orchards, especially as it takes at least 5 years before we can harvest." With this in mind, the interprofession will be seeking the support of the public authorities in order to qualify for aid. Another avenue being considered is the research into productive varieties that are better adapted to the climate and require fewer plant protection products than American varieties, which are "productive but fragile."

"Water storage is essential"
"As with all other sectors, water storage is essential for production. Drought periods are getting longer and longer, and producers are finding themselves unable to produce properly. We need to be able to build more hillside reservoirs to store excess winter water. As we saw this winter, the trees suffered from excess water, and the subsequent lack of water was fatal. With sufficient water, the situation would have been quite different," explains Fabien Joffre.