Bruno Darnaud, president of the producers' association Peaches and Apricots of France, had warned of the traditional harvest forecasts unveiled at medFEL. "The next few weeks will be crucial, since the frost and drought (especially in Roussillon) are not behind us yet." Have the apricots suffered from the cold?

"The frost did not affect the season in terms of volumes"
Apricot growers can rest assured that, after several days and nights of worry, this year's apricots will not have suffered any damage from the frost. According to Muriel Millan, technical manager at Peaches and Apricots, "a few producers in the Rhône Valley reported some damage from the frost, but these are only a few cases, and the volumes will not be affected."

In terms of quality, "it is still too early to tell," explains Muriel Millan. But the drop in volumes this year means "bigger sizes and therefore better fruit. If the good weather continues, it will be a quality year."

In 2023, episodes of rain and hail in the first part of the campaign had impacted quality. Then, the production peak at the end of June (+23%), at a time when consumption was at half-mast, clogged up the market in the first half of July.

2024, a down year (medFEL data)
With the alternation phenomenon and the lack of cold at flowering time, 2024 will be a down year. There is a particularly marked deficit in the Gard, Crau and Rhône Valley regions. For 2024, production in France is estimated at 87,800 tons (Languedoc Roussillon: 33,538 tons, Rhône Alpes: 40,328 tons and PACA: 13,986 tons), which is down by 29% from 2023 and down 13% from the 2018-2022 average. Production is expected to arrive a little earlier (around the 13th of May), with significant volumes from June.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com