According to Agreste, the 2016 apple harvest should reach 1,504,000 tons, 6% below that of 2015. The Minister of Agriculture states that “orchards have a one to two week delay in vegetation compared to a normal year,” due to the cold weather at the end of the spring.
In the Centre region and Aquitaine, these temperatures lead to fruit drop. The harvest in Aquitaine will be 25% below that recorded last year. Acreage has decreased by 3% and 5% in the Pays de la Loire and the Languedoc-Roussillon. Production will respectively decrease by 5% and 4%. However, production in the Rhone-Alpes, PACA and Midi-Pyrénées should be close to that of 2015.