The Minister of Agriculture’s Statistical Office expects to see a 4% increase in winter lettuce production (reaching 341 million lettuce heads) and a 2% increase in endive production. (Curly endive production will increase by 8% but escarole production will decrease by 2% - this is due to a +4% increase in Curly endive acreage and -2% decrease in Escarole acreage). However, despite an increase compared to last year, there will still be a clear decrease compared to the 2011-2015 average. The winter production period is from October through until April.
Acreage will have increased by 1% compared to the 2015-2016 season. Batavia and Cutting Lettuce will see acreage increase respectively by 39% and 33%, a 2% increase in a year. Over the 2016-2017 year, the PACA region will see a 4% increase in acreage, but it is still an 11% decrease compared to the 2011-2015 average. The Centre region will see a 4% increase compared to 2016, with a marked increase in Batavia lettuce. Ile de France and Lower Normandy will be effected by the flooding in the spring and see a decrease in acreage.
The summer lettuce season ended with the August and September harvests, in September prices were below those of the five-year average. Whilst prices increased strongly at the start of the season, they decreased as of August due to already existing supplies and insufficient demand.
Since the start of the summer endive season, the prices were stable but decreased in September due to a high offer. The prices decreased by 6% over the year in September, but remained 2% above the five year average.