Anthony Oboussier, head of EARL Les Chambres, based in the Drôme department, looks back on the 2023 peach/nectarine and apricot campaign, and gives his first impressions of the upcoming 2024 campaign.
Anthony Oboussier produces peaches, nectarines and apricots on approximately 20 hectares.
Around 70% of apricot potential
Last year, EARL Les Chambres reported a "deficit in apricots on some varieties." This year, however, promises a better yield. "The fruit set rate was not good in 2023, with necrosis problems on some varieties. Hailstorms in June 2023 affected almost 80% of the orchards. We therefore arrived with a category 2 product in an already tense market. This year, we have reached 70% of production potential. We had a small hailstorm at the end of March, which left its mark on a few fruits, but we will be able to eliminate them when we thin the crop. Unfortunately, some colleagues in the department will barely reach 50% of their potential this year."
Regarding nectarines and peaches this year, "the trees are full, which means that we will have to do a lot more thinning this time." The hailstorm at the end of March also affected the fruits (6 to 8 mm in diameter) to a lesser extent than the apricots, but we will still have to sort them out carefully. Our orchards are usually protected by anti-hail nets, but we have not unrolled them yet this year."
"The market will have to be dynamic in order to absorb the volumes"
In 2023, the market "lacked fluidity and dynamism, with prices slightly lower than in 2022." We hope this will not be the case this year. For nectarines and peaches, the market will have to be dynamic to absorb the volumes. Of course, everything will depend on the weather and the competition. But the trend seems to be towards an early season, if the good weather is on our side from June onwards."
For more information:
Anthony Oboussier
EARL Les Chambres
Phone: 06 75 85 59 51
espritfruite@gmail.com