CRUEL SUMMER
The weather played a major role in the performance of French stone fruit in 2003. Heavy spring frost occurred at the most crucial time of development.
Temperatures fell to -6?C in the Drôme area in April, which resulted in most of the forecasted crop being wiped out and successful producing areas such as Rhône-Alpes saw their tonnage fall greatly.
Apricot producers were severely hit and the late Bergeron variety, which is viewed as a spearhead of the industry, suffered particularly. Peaches and nectarines were also badly hit. The French ministry of agriculture estimated that the 2003 Rhône-Alpes crop would be 70 per cent lower than in 2002. This harsh weather also affected the Loire Valley top fruit.
The hot summer on the Continent also played its part. High temperatures registered in the producing areas led to water shortages. Fruit did not grow as expected and small sizing was the norm. Plums were the only fruit that did not suffer from the high temperatures, although, later in the summer, heavy storms in the South West and Rhône areas damaged plum orchards.
A TYPICAL SEASON
These factors meant there was less fruit on the market, and a longer season especially for peaches and nectarines. Supplies to the home market did not interfere with export activity and smaller volumes on the markets may have strengthened prices. Helène Baillon, head of the fresh produce department at the French foreign trade agency, argues: “Exporting is also a question of making money. The export market and the domestic market should walk hand-in-hand as one may profit from the other.”
France exported some 58,000 tonnes of peaches and nectarines to other European countries this past season. Last year the figure was 92,000t but this was not the norm as Baillon explains: “2002 remains an exceptional year. The French export capacity for this fruit is around 50,000t. So the 2003 results were more than respectable,” she says.
Though trends show a decline in French sendings to the UK ñ 13,000t in 2001 and 5,400t in 2003 ñ climatic conditions and a weak crop cannot explain everything. Some companies believe that difficulties have arisen with stiffer competition from Spain and the change in the traditional, not to say historical, trade relations between French producers and English importers.
Apricot production was far below the average, as the crop was savaged by the weather. Nevertheless exporters sent 1,750t to the UK market, around half the tonnage of 2002. The price strengthening following the shortage means prices were higher in 2003.
The real surprise came from cherry exports. More than 1,400t have been sent to the UK in a naturally short season and generated around e3.5 million. This is the same amount of money made by the apricot exports. “Cherry operators remain very discreet,” says Baillon. “Though we must remember France was the leading exporter in Europe during the 1990s ahead of Italy and Spain. The new plantations in Spain altered the picture but the French cherries remain competitive and present on the European stage. The 2003 results are good and I think they deserve praise.” Cherries are notoriously difficult to work with, as their fragility requires efficient logistics solutions and targeted markets. But the prize is there ñ an average e3 a kilo is rather a good result. Cherries are essentially produced in the Rhône Valley on more than 3,800 hectares. Production is based on two varieties: Burlat and Napoleon.
ORCHARD EVOLUTION
The French stone fruit sector will have to look carefully at orchard development in the forthcoming years. Together peaches and nectarines are the second most important orchard crop in France with almost 22,000 hectares under production. Between 1992 and 2002 the total area fell by 36 per cent. The main causes were the sharka disease and Spanish competition. The last five years have featured a change in the situation as the decline has slowed down. The structure of the national orchard is also changing, even though yellow peaches are still predominant, with Spring Lady and Royal Glory. But producers prefer white nectarines such as the Snow Queen. Changes are also taking place within the apricot sector whereFrance has a competitive edge. Steady exports to Europe mirror this technical ability and there is little risk of a decline. New varieties such as the early Bergarouge or the late Tain are being planted to extend the French window and to compete even more effectively with neighbouring producer-countries.
APRICOT AGENDA
France suffered a major blow to stone-fruit production early in 2003 when a series of heavy frosts destroyed crops. And from its wide portfolio of sunshine fruits, nothing fared worse than the apricot. Emma Hatfield reports.
In just one night at the beginning of April 2003 temperatures plummeted to -10°C in the Rhône Alpes region resulting in irreparable damage to the apricot crop. Because fruit was in the early stages of development, the frosty temperatures wreaked havoc with production resulting in the loss of 60 per cent of the crop. What little was left survived due to the implementation of heating equipment.
“Last year turned out to be the worst year since 1975,” says Jacques Martinot from the French apricot committee, “although the season did improve. Primarily the frost on April 8 reduced the volumes of all stone fruit, particularly in the Rhône Alpes area, but later the hot and dry summer enabled us to have excellent fruit that exhibited very good characteristics in terms of colour, juice and sugar. Prices for French stone fruit were extremely high and export volumes were low, especially for apricots because they were the hardest hit by the cold.”
France's primary stone fruit production areas are Languedoc Roussillon, Provence Alpes, Cote d'Azur and Rhône Alpes which usually all benefit from favourable climatic conditions enabling producers to grow the quality of fruit that the market demands. “Each of these regions,” says Martinot, “ intends to widen its variety range, particularly when it comes to apricots in order to decrease the possibility of such a disaster happening again. I hope and I think that France will shortly produce apricots from the middle of May until the end of August. And with a normal harvest, the quality of French apricots should enable us to improve our position in European markets, particularly on the most important ones ñ the UK, Germany and Italy. The potential for exporting apricots is something we hope to improve on immensely in the forthcoming years.”
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