The first cherries of the year have reached the shelves in France, they come from the Vaucluse region. The 80 cherry growers in the Monts de Venasque expect to harvest 1,000 to 1,500 tons of cherries this season, starting with the early varieties : Burlat, Folfer, Summit, and a little later the Belge.
Yet cherry production is threatened by the drosophilia suzukii fly, which bites ripe fruits and lays its eggs. Threatened by this fly and the ban on phytosanitary products, cherry producers are looking at other ways of protecting their fruit.
Producers are selling their cherries directly for the first time ever in their store in Carpentras, from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning.