Pesticides: there is “urgency” to find solutions for apples and endives, according to Marc Fesneau

The fruit and vegetable sector is threatened, “there is an urgency” to find solutions for apples and endives, processed with products likely to be banned, Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau declared this Thursday. “We find ourselves in a technical impasse” for these products and “we have concerns for 2024,” he stressed at the Agricultural Show. “We should have been concerned about this a long time ago,” admitted the minister, who regularly insists on the subject of pesticides “no ban without a solution”. “The endive sector has no visibility on its capacity to produce after 2024, following the announced withdrawal of several key active substances making it possible to guarantee the technical and economic sustainability of this traditional crop from Hauts-de-France (90% of production French)”, underlined the association of endive producers of France in an open letter to Gabriel Attal at the beginning of February.

The minister presented on Thursday an assessment one year after the launch of a plan intended to “reconquer” France's sovereignty in fruits and vegetables, currently 50% imported. In particular, it made it possible to allocate 100 million euros to equipment modernization projects, for greenhouses or irrigation for example, as well as 40 million euros to food aid associations for the purchase of fruit. and vegetables. In 2024, the plan provides for an additional 100 million euros. “It is important to have this follow-up because in the current context, we could wonder if the continuation of the plan would not be postponed,” underlined Alexis Degouy, the general director of the inter-profession of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Interfel).