According to Agrestes report this week, French cauliflower production has decreased due to the bad weather conditions in June. It has plummeted by 36% compared to last year, to 208,120 tons. Planted acreage is stable over the year, reaching 16,790 hectares, but is a 7% decrease compared to the five year average.
The Ministry of Agriculture has reported that harvest was effected in terms of quality and quantity due to temperatures in the morning that were too cold and a lack of water in Brittany and flooding leading to the destruction of plots in the North regions. Despite an improvement in temperatures over the summer, quality was limited compared to last year. Brittany represents over 80% of national production but saw it’s figures decrease by 32% compared to 2015.
Meanwhile, prices are stable and the demand is active. However, in December prices decreased due to an increase in harvested volume. Prices are within the five year average over the same period, but 89% above the extremely low prices recorded in 2015. Due to the decrease in production, exports decreased in October and November.