"We had a rather complicated start of the year: the farm is located near Bordeaux, where it rained a lot, and it was impossible to enter the plots. And on top of that, there was a lack of sun as well," Bernard continues.
Currently, the sun has come out quite a lot more, but there are significant thermal differences. "The gaps are excessive; one day it’s 18 degrees, the day after it’s 40 degrees. The plants suffer enormously, and develop diseases because of the rain. We don’t always have the necessary organic means to treat these diseases.”
"We are not the only ones in the Bordeaux region with climate problems; almost all of France had the same problem. Production is late, and everything is harvested at the same time, while consumers aren’t ready for it yet. Therefore, the prices are very low."
Bernard and his son grow eight different lettuce varieties. "Among other things, we offer green and red Batavia lettuce, Sucrine, and green and red Oak Leaf. These varieties are among the typical products of the French market. We also offer some smaller varieties, such as the mixed incised Salanova, and the mixed multi-leaf Salanova. There’s a strong demand for organic lettuce in France. Organic consumption is increasing; that goes for lettuce as well."
The lettuce is available in bulk and in bags for the mass distribution, and is exported to several European countries. "During the winter, we grow our leafy greens in greenhouses. We offer spinach 10 months out of 12, and Sucrine all year round."
Bernard’s son’s exploitation was founded 7 years ago, and is 100% organic. "We grow leaf vegetables on 9 hectares, and in summer we grow an additional 1 hectare of tomatoes in our greenhouse and aubergines in the tunnel as well. The aubergines are Global GAP certified. "When we got certified, the tomato plants and the leafy greens were too small, due to the weather conditions; we’re still waiting for the certification for these two products."
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
