French early leek producers from Nantes are confident that the campaign due to begin in May will be positively affected by Spanish frosts.
The harvest should top 23,000 tonnes - a stable level for some years now, and the leeks are produced on 500 hectares by 150 farms.
The UK market is the industry’s second largest export market after Germany, with 2.000t slated to cross the Channel.
French exporters are in competition with Spanish product but producers’ union president Roland Leroy told the Journal: “We remain leader as we have a different customer base. Frost in Spain may cause delays and a slight overlap this season. But it won’t be major, as Spain’s production technically ends before us.”
