According to Agreste's forecasts of April 1st, 2026, French lettuce production for the 2025-2026 season will reach 436.7 million heads, an increase of 13.5 million heads on the previous season. In March 2026, prices were 7% higher than the 2020-2024 average, but 20% lower than in March 2025, with supply outstripping demand.
Yields higher than last year
The area planted in France (excluding the French overseas departments and territories) for the 2025-2026 marketing year is set to decrease by 2% across all varieties, to 6,813 hectares. This drop is mainly due to a reduction in the area under lettuce for cutting.
The latest estimates put French production at 436.7 million heads, an overall increase of 3% on the 2024-2025 season. This increase is due to improved yields compared with the previous season.
Prices recover in 2026
After the low prices recorded at the end of 2025, prices started to rise again at the beginning of 2026, exceeding the average for the last five years, with supply coming mainly from the southeast basin. However, against a backdrop of moderate demand, prices are still lower than in 2025: -5% in January, -6% in February, and -20% in March, even though production has been disrupted by weather and sanitary problems.
Over the cumulative period from May 2025 to February 2026, foreign trade in lettuce fell slightly by 1% compared to the same period in the previous marketing year, with exports reaching 26,600 tons and imports reaching 85,000 tons. At the same time, the trade deficit in volume terms, at -58,400 tons, also fell by 1%.
Source: agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr
