The last tonnage figures available for 2007 in Rungis ran to November, and as usual they are to be taken with a pinch of salt, as the statistics are based on wholesalers’ declarations.
For some products, end-of-year sales would have changed the picture. Nevertheless, they appear to be in phase with the difficult season French producers experienced, particularly in the summer fruit sector.
Overall, fruit and vegetable volumes are on the way down. Fruit suffered more than veg: six per cent down on 2006 figures at 462,000 tonnes, compared to a 2.4 per cent drop for vegetables (389,000t).
The shocking summer weather in France impacted heavily on peaches and nectarines. Other products to regress significantly were grapes (-9.9 per cent) and apples (-9.1 per cent). On the other hand, some lines increased their market share. Pear volumes grew 3.9 per cent to 19,000t, and strawberries were up 3.6 per cent to 22,000t.
On the vegetable front, the figures were mixed. Tomatoes, a major line in the Rungis offer, stepped back by 1.4 per cent, but there was an increase in French tomatoes (+12.5 per cent), substituting Spanish and Moroccan product. Potatoes (-6.8 per cent), salads (-2.3 per cent) and carrots (-5.9 per cent) all underperformed, while mushrooms progressed by 13.3 per cent despite a fall for wild varieties. Artichokes also performed well, with a 5.9 per cent increase to 59,000t, as did spinach (+7.2 per cent) and green beans (+2.4 per cent).
The flowers and potted plants sector at Rungis seems to be in good shape tonnage-wise. Up to October, more than 19.2 million stems were marketed, a 2.7 per cent rise on 2006. Potted plants suffered a little more, with a 3.1 per cent retreat, and 14.6m units sold.
