"It is ridiculous to manage a tropical crop in the same way as a European crop"

In November, exotic flavours from Reunion Island filled French supermarket shelves, alongside traditional apples, pears and clementines. Lychees, Victoria pineapples and other fruits from Reunion Island will be on offer for the festive season, despite volumes being affected by the drought. "With peak production expected in December, Victoria pineapples should be available in sufficient quantities. Sizes are slightly below average, but the quality is exceptional this year, with sugar levels of up to 20 degrees Brix," explains Joël Boyer.

50% loss in lychee volumes

"As far as lychees are concerned, we have a very small harvest this year. Complicated weather conditions, including drought and strong gales during the flowering period, have severely impacted the crops. As a result, we have lost 50% of the harvest, with volumes that will not be able to supply the market normally, and a campaign that should finish at the end of December/beginning of January. But we have been able to preserve the fruit, which has held up well, especially in terms of size. What we were able to salvage was therefore of great quality and picked at optimum ripeness. Thanks to very specific transport conditions, the French can now enjoy a product with exceptional taste qualities."

The same goes for passion fruit. Volumes are limited, but once again the quality is exceptional. "Production meets strict specifications, resulting in a truly brilliant product of superb quality. But here again, the producers have had to cope with heavy sanitary pressure, which has been an obstacle to successfully growing the crop and achieving good volumes."

Growers worried about the future

Besides the unfavourable weather conditions that have affected exotic fruit production on Reunion Island, the lack of phytosanitary solutions and the failure to adapt French legislation to the tropical climate represent an additional challenge for growers. "This is a battle we have been fighting for years. Reunion is a region of France, so it meets the specifications laid down for French production in general. However, the problems faced by growers in tropical regions are completely different from those faced by growers in temperate climates. Parasite pressure, for example, can be controlled by winter cold in metropolitan France. This is impossible on Reunion Island, where there are only two seasons: the hot season and the wet season. It is therefore ridiculous to manage a tropical crop in the same way we manage crops in Europe. Growers are really worried about the future. The same applies to growers in the other French overseas departments, who are equally concerned about the problem of withdrawing molecules from tropical environments..."

Inauguration of the new packaging line

A new state-of-the-art packaging line for Victoria pineapples
Joël Boyer's latest trip to Reunion Island at the start of the harvest was also an opportunity to inaugurate the new pineapple packaging line. This is a state-of-the-art facility. "Weighing is now done fruit by fruit, with perfect traceability enhanced by a cardboard label held in place by a cotton thread to comply with the AGEC law. We were very honoured to receive Hughette Bello, president of the Reunion region, along with a number of elected representatives, including the chairmen of Arifel, armeflhor and OP anafruit, the director of the Ddaf and a number of partners involved in our business."

Photo credits: Boyer