As reported in the national media last week: "French stop importing strawberries and cherries this winter." Two French supermarket chains, Intermarché and Netto, have announced they will no longer sell fresh strawberries and cherries from abroad during the winter. The reason: "bad for the environment and it disadvantages French farmers." Market analyst Wilco van den Berg of GroentenFruit Huis calls these "juggling numbers" and decided to look deeper into the figures.
"Yes, the article provides figures to back up its claims. However, the high numbers raised doubts in my mind and warranted a closer look. 'Some 8,000 tons of cherries come in winter, mainly from Chile and Argentina.' Wow, that's a lot—and it's incorrect. On an annual basis, France imports a total of 8,000 tons of cherries, 85% of which arrive between May and July. In winter, imports are minimal. In December 2023, French cherry imports totaled just 119 tonnes, of which 48 tons came from Chile and 48 tons from Argentina. Intermarché and Netto, which claim to be stopping winter cherry imports, only account for a portion of these imports." 
"In winter, France is said to import over 60,000 tons of strawberries, particularly from Spain and Morocco. Is the volume really that large in winter? A closer examination shows otherwise. France imports 60,000 tons annually—53,900 tons in 2023 to be exact. The bulk of this volume (60%) is imported in March, April, and May, primarily from neighboring Spain and also from the Netherlands. In the winter month of December 2023, French strawberry imports were 1,080 tons (2% of annual imports). In January 2024, imports amounted to 1,850 tons. While these two months still represent a significant volume, they are far from the 60,000 tons cited. Has anyone calculated how much this action benefits French growers?" 
Source: Wilco van den Berg