The volume of French stone fruit has plummeted due to the bad weather. Prices on the European market have, however, been stable, making things difficult for traders. Theo Kampschoer of Kampexport exports French stone fruit to this market. "In most countries, low prices are very important. Only in France is more attention paid to quality than prices", he says. This is why Kampexport remains more active in the French market.
"Best case scenario - we have to deal with a halved Apricot harvest. The early varieties are all frozen. We are starting with the Bergeron and the later varieties now. These volumes are also low. The peach and nectarine harvests have dropped by 30%. The bad weather also means there are very few large sizes on the market", he explains.
Theo gets all his growers to cultivate their fruit under nets. "This is the only way we can survive", he says. "The nets protect against hail, rain and wind. You see more and more farmers, who can afford it, putting up these nets. Growers who cannot afford this investment are having a hard time. The weather causes problems on an almost yearly basis."
Theo concludes: "Viva la France, for the football as well as the French stone fruit. This is still prized more than the imported varieties."
Once the stone fruit season is over, Kampexport switches to exporting vegetables from Brittany.
For more information:
Kampexport Sud
BP 2
34280 La Grande Motte
Tel: +33 (0) 467 567 354