Despite an increase in acreage, rainfall in May has damaged strawberry production and the Minster of Agriculture expects the harvest to be only slightly higher than last year, reaching 57,000 tons. Rain affected the main production areas of the South: Nouvelle Aquitaine, PACA and the Rhone Alpes (which represents almost a third of open air acreage). Strawberry picking was particularly difficult in these regions because of the rain, as well as an increase in disease and pests.
The bad weather has also effected consumption as there is less demand for strawberries and due to a lack of sales, prices have plummeted since April (but remain 3% higher than last year and 4% above the 2013-2017 average). Strawberry imports have seen a 24% decrease as well (estimated to reach 31,000 tons), mainly from Spain, compared to the same time last year.