Antoine Cheminant, partner of the French Cheminant group, which specializes in greenhouse tomato and cucumber production in Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique), reviews the progress of the cucumber campaign, both in terms of production and market.
Production 11 months out of 12
The Cheminant group has been producing cucumbers for 6 years on 7 hectares, including 3 in greenhouses. This means that it can produce cucumbers from mid-December until early November. "The complementary nature of our greenhouses means that we can smooth out production over the year without any major peaks, and be present on the market 11 months out of 12." The group produces almost 12 million units a year, which amounts to approximately 4,800 tons of cucumbers.
Lack of light in spring and summer
"We have been at the end of the downturn since the beginning of August," explains Antoine Cheminant. This year, the bad weather (since October 2023) has prevented any production peaks. "Volumes have been fairly steady over the weeks. There were no major heat peaks, and the crops developed more quickly because of the lack of light in spring and summer." The weather has multiplied production efforts. "The rain and dampness encouraged the development of fungal diseases, which are very complicated to manage in crops.
Prices recently went up
Although cucumbers are a weather-dependent product, consumption has not suffered too much from the bad weather, thanks to the promotional actions in supermarkets. "Cucumbers are a relatively inexpensive product, and against this backdrop of inflation, sales have held up thanks to special offers and promotions from distributors during the season, with fairly regular releases. On the market, "prices are higher than usual this year."
Spanish cucumbers will return to the French market next month. "The transition will take place over the coming weeks, and French production will start to decline from the end of September. This could be "problematic at the end of the season, but everything will depend on the weather and prices in Spain," explains Antoine. "We do not know what the Spanish harvest will be, but we expect similar volumes as in previous years."
For more information:
Antoine Cheminant
Groupe Cheminant
Le Prouzeau
44470 Carquefou - France
Phone: +33 2 40 50 81 26
[email protected]
https://groupe-cheminant.net/