According to Agreste, despite the rain, frost and storms, cherry production is on an 8% increase overall. They had to do a lot of sorting of early cherries, such as the Burlat, which is of a small calibre, but later cherries show a higher calibre.
French cherry commercialisation started early (at the end of April) in the Roussillon and some areas of the Gard. Demand is stable with relatively moderate volumes on the market at this stage.
Rain in May damaged some of the Burlat production but overall prices were 12% above the average. At the end of May, the quality improved and volume increased, effecting prices.
National cherry turnover in 2016 was 8% above the previous year, for the third consecutive year, thanks to stable prices that were 34% above those recorded in 2015. According to the Minister of Agriculture, cherry production reached 35,000 tons, 16% below that of 2015 and 11% below the 2011-2015 average due to bad weather conditions. Exports also plummeted by 42%