Uneal starts growing lentils in Valenciennes, a first in the region

2023-07-30 15:13:43

For the first time, and since this year, the Uneal agricultural cooperative has started producing lentils in the region. In Valenciennes, twenty-five hectares of fields are devoted to its production.

A few years ago, do growing lentils in the fields of Valenciennes would have been unimaginable. With the current climate changes, cultivation is now permitted in some fields in the region and the agricultural cooperative Uneal did not hesitate to take up the challenge. In the sector, the first tests took place in fields near the Haulchin silo.

« It’s a culture that we try to put in place to see how it can be worked at home and to realize if the outlet is interesting. “, specifies the director of the Uneal North-East region, Jean-François Delattre. An installation that was also done in a concern for changes in consumption patterns. « The lentil is a product that attracts more and more people, especially for its many benefits on our health. »

Land now favorable in Valenciennes

The lens surfaces are initially located in the east, west and south-west of France, in outside the historical production basins of Puy and Berry in the center of France.

Places that have draining and filtering soils. ” Today, the cultivation areas are expanding and we now have light soils, conducive to the development of lentils around Haulchin. It is a species that we might not establish everywhere. »

In the whole region, forty hectares have been cultivated this year and the production in Valenciennes is approaching twenty-five hectares. Au silo Uneal d’Haulchin, eight tons were delivered and the quality is there.

Make short circuits work

In Valenciennes, the cultivation and sale of lentils remains in a very closed circle. The intermediary who collects and bags comes from the sector. ” What is good is that this production allows short circuits to work “, concludes the director.

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