Lettuce volumes in the Pyrénées-Orientales departément in the south of France have fallen heavily in the past 10 years, according to L’Indépendent.com.
Whereas a decade ago, some 180m lettuce heads were produced, that figure now stands at less than 90m.
Chief among the reasons for this decline is the fact that growers now produce at a considerable loss.
“We are the dupes in the system,” said Yves Aris, president of the FDSEA (Departmental Federation of Farmers’ Unions), during this week’s crisis meeting of producers in Toulouges.
“Consumers need to know that, when they buy a lettuce for €1.10, only around €0.25-€0.30 is actually paid to the producer, while the cost of production is at least €0.60,” he explained.
According to two Perpignan-based producers, Jean-Michel Fenès and Eric Vidal, the future looks bleak for the sector unless major change is effected.
“A few years from now, if you want to buy a lettuce, you will have to buy an imported product, because we will not be here to produce at a loss,” they said. “But when you consume imports, you are no longer contributing to the development of local jobs or the local economy, and you are no longer aware of the conditions in which the fruit and vegetables you have just bought have been cultivated.”
According to L’Indépendent.com, Mr Aris joked that the only way of supplying the main retailers without losing money was by dumping the produce outside the store.
Such protests are highly likely should the current situation persist.
