The Association of Peach and Nectarine Producer Organisations of France (AOP Pêche et Nectarine) and its counterpart for apricots (AOP Abricot) will merge in April in order to maximise the resources available and develop joint actions in defence of these crops in France and the EU. They will represent a total production of 200,000 tonnes.
The AOP for peaches, nectarines and apricots will bring together 35 companies devoted to the production and marketing of these three fruits, accounting for 60-70% of the production of peaches and nectarines and 45% of the production of apricots, totalling 200,000 tonnes, according to Rafael Martínez, head of the AOP for peaches and nectarines.
Funding for the new AOP will be based solely on the contributions from its partners, because state funding provided by the French government since the creation of these associations in 2009 has disappeared. Participation in the AOP is free.
The new AOP will have three main functions: firstly, to have detailed information about the sector. In France, there is a mandatory registration of plots, with production and acreage data, so the AOP is responsible for making specific analysis of production, varieties, marketing, etc. Secondly, technical production issues will be addressed, especially those having to do with varieties and the use of pesticides, and thirdly, it will work in promotion, both nationally and internationally.
The Associations of Producer Organisations of France (AOP), are at the base of the French horticultural sector since 2009, when they replaced the Regional Committees and National Product Sections.
The cultivation of peaches and nectarines in France takes place mostly in the south of the country. The Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest producer with about 170,000 tonnes, followed by the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur with 90,000 tonnes and Rhone-Alpes with another 90,000 tonnes. As for apricots, production also concentrates in the south and production in 2014 amounted to 177,900 tonnes.
Source: Fepex