Three Ministers met on the 23rd October in Bercy to discuss with producers and retailers the threatening price decreases in the fruit and vegetable sector.
All fruits and vegetables are effected by the decreasing prices. In 2014 the decrease reached 20% for salads, 11% for carrots and 4% for potatoes. The main causes for such a drop are : price wars between retailers, bad weather this summer which did not incite French consumers to consume such products, and the crisis. Food spending has decreased by 0.9% over the first trimester of 2014. Finally, the Russian embargo on apples has not helped the situation either.
During the discussion on the 23rd October the government could decide to favour French companies and sanction abusive commercial practices. Small producers risk giving up their productions. The sector represents 11,800 companies and 480,000 people earn their living from it in France.