French cauliflower production for the 2025-2026 season is estimated at 192,700 tons, down by 10% year-on-year (-22,500 tons), according to Agreste. This drop is accompanied by a 5% reduction in surface area, to 12,140 hectares, with a more marked decline in the western basin (-12%).
Despite this drop in production, the mild winter greatly disrupted the crop calendar, concentrating volumes over the winter. After an acceleration in ripening from December onwards, a brief cold spell at the end of January temporarily limited supplies, before a thaw in February again accelerated harvesting. As a result, lower volumes are expected in the spring.
This concentration of supplies has unbalanced the market, generating excess supply in the face of insufficient demand. Prices, already low in November, continued to fall: -32% in December compared to 2024 and -42% compared to the five-year average. In January, despite several cold spells, supply remained abundant and difficult to sell, even though exports provided limited support against a backdrop of Spanish and Italian competition.
The situation deteriorated further in February, with sluggish domestic demand and export outlets still constrained, leading to a number of unsold products, especially in Brittany. As a result, prices fell again, by 23% compared to the five-year average. Over the month, they were also 21% lower than in February 2025.
In terms of trade, between June 2025 and January 2026, exports (49,600 tons) fell by 8% and imports (34,300 tons) by 17%. The trade surplus in volume terms nevertheless increased by 18%, to 15,300 tons.
Source: Agreste
