This was supposed to be the culmination of the summer fruit crisis in France. French minister of agriculture Bruno Le Maire asked all the differents parts of the industry - producers, retailers and wholesalers - to gather at the Rue de Varennes (where the ministry is located, near the Rodin Museum, for those who would like to spot the place on a map).

Rumour had it that the minister had some announcements to make. Truly, the weeks before were quite chaotic with tyres being burnt, Spanish trucks stopping at the border et al.

To be honest, at the end of the round table talks, no one was happy. The producers considered the answers given by the minister to be weak to say the least. The wholesalers remained cautious in front of authority. Their main concern was the possible development of regulations that could make commercial relations even more complicated. The French fresh produce wholesale union reminded everyone it was working on a guide good practices for the commercial confrontation… I mean, relations.

But the basket handed by Le Maire was not totally empty. Even if the main topic - the cost of labour - didn’t find a solution at the meeting, all agreed on the necessity to lower taxes on seasonal jobs.

The minister also advocated more fixed-price contracts between parts of the chain upstream and downstream to smooth out campaigns. This may actually work between producers and retailers. But there is no assurance that it would be the same between wholesalers and their suppliers. The recent survey shown at the Rungis meeting revealed the majority of producers do not want to hear about that. But is it necessary after all? A better dialogue between the two and the reconnaissance of their expertise could lead to better partnerships.