The phenomenon has not escaped fruit and vegetable lovers: cherries are now selling for gold. On the streets of the capital, the price per kilo ranges between 16 and 30 euros, while large sizes sell for between 12 and 14 euros per kilo in Rungis. “It’s absolutely too expensive, so I don’t eat it,” reacts a customer on a shopping street in Paris. “I was flabbergasted by the increase in cherries,” laments another.
Even in the south, where the price per kilo is around 7 euros on average, it is still between 2 and 3 euros more expensive than last year. Enough to encourage Julien Espinas, first in the markets, to resort to the more affordable Spanish cherry: “When there are real people and flow, we can do both as I do on Sundays: I take a little French and a bit of Spain”. When there are fewer people, we bet on Spain because it is cheaper and everyone has less money, so it is more in the context”. An opportunity that should not last, however, the federation of French markets estimates that the Spanish cherry will soon be sold at 18 euros per kilo on average compared to 20 for its French cousin.
“We will have a very good season in 15 days to three weeks”
Several factors explain this explosion in the price of cherries, starting with the weather conditions according to David, a producer from Gard: “I think it is due to the excessively hot summer we had. You should know that cherries and in particular the flower buds are formed on July of the previous year. If it is very hot the previous year, we have a small crop the following year.” He thus identifies a 40% drop in its production compared to last year. In addition, the sector is no stranger to the rise in energy costs and the shortage of labor that penalizes its activity.
Owner of the Parisian brand BG l’atelier maraicher, Martial Bruneau confirms the harmful effects of climatic phenomena: “In the South, there was enormous bad weather and then drought. The tree goes into survival mode when it lacks water and is very dry so it doesn’t nourish the fruit, which means there are a lot of small fruits. It only takes a good storm for the fruits to fall off and rot.” On the other hand, according to him, the report on the Spanish cherry is not necessarily beneficial at all levels.
The seller anticipates an improvement in the situation from the beginning of July. “When the volumes arrive, the prices will come down, he insists. It’s a bit early there, but I think we’ll have a very good season in 15 days to three weeks, once everything is good.” While waiting for this price readjustment, Martial Bruneau advises “lowering the sizes” and that, regardless of the fruit: “The more small fruits you have, the more volume you have and the more attractive the prices.”
Source: BFM TV
