The strawberry market - France

Strawberries are widely consumed around the world, with over 600 varieties, including emblematic varieties such as Gariguette, Favette and Mara des bois. The fruit can be sold fresh or processed into jams, compotes and other desserts. In France, strawberries are harvested in spring, but their production remains sensitive to weather conditions: frost, in particular, can seriously affect yields and harvest quality. The world's top two strawberry producers are China and the United States. Global production is highly concentrated, with the top ten producers accounting for around 80% of world supply. In Europe, the main producers are Spain, the Netherlands and France. Although France produces a respectable quantity of strawberries(75,700 tonnes in 2021), it remains the world's sixth-largest importer of the fruit. Most of France's production is distributed via short distribution channels, concentrated in three main regions: South-East, South-West and Centre-West. At the same time, imported strawberries are often bought in supermarkets or hypermarkets by French consumers. Against a backdrop of falling purchasing power and inflation, French strawberries are finding it difficult to compete with Spanish strawberries, which are generally less expensive. This competitive disadvantage is driving supermarkets to import strawberries from Spain on a massive scale, even in the event of a good harvest in France, as in 2022. This paradoxical situation reflects significant differences in the behavior of strawberry markets between countries, influenced by major fluctuations in production. Consumption, on the other hand, remains stable overall. Although organic production will fall slightly by 2023, it will still account for a substantial share of the market. In 2023, organic farming accounted for 10.4% of total farmland in France, albeit down slightly (-1.3 points) on the previous year. With a strong presence in short distribution channels and sustained demand, more than 50% of organic strawberries consumed in France are of French origin, confirming the anchoring of this segment in consumer habits. New initiatives, such as the Fragolab agrivoltaic project in Vaucluse, demonstrate the sector's capacity for innovation. Inaugurated in November 2023, this project combines strawberry cultivation and solar energy production, thanks to greenhouses equipped with semi-translucent, controllable photovoltaic panels. Fragolab, which houses 18,680 strawberry plants of the Cléry variety, produces 12.5 tonnes of strawberries a year, which are sold in short circuits, and contributes to the energy transition while protecting the plants from climatic hazards and reducing water stress. This project, supported by the " France 2030 " plan, embodies a sustainable approach and could serve as a model for other crops in France and Europe.