The war unfolding in Ukraine affects our purchasing power. The rise in energy prices is leading to the weakening of the production of french tomatoesreports Le Figaro. In fact, 95% of the tomatoes produced in the country come from soilless cultivation. This means that they grow in large greenhouses which are heated with gas. Advantage: consumers benefit from tomatoes all year round. Inconvenience: when the gas price undergoes an increase, without even considering the ecological aspect of such a practice, production becomes more expensive.
In the current situation, gas prices have skyrocketed. “The price has long been between 15 and 30 euros per megawatt hour. At the end of 2021, we were on average 80 euros, which was already difficult. In February, with the conflict, it rose to 220 euros, or 10 times the price, ”explains to our colleagues Christophe Rousse, president of Solarenn, a cooperative of Breton tomato producers. We can measure the extent of the damage to the trade in these tomatoes more clearly with this comparison: “It’s as if diesel had gone to 15 euros per liter all of a sudden. »
Fewer French tomatoes
The strategies differ according to the producers. A Breton operator interviewed by TF1 specifies that he has delayed his plantings by three months and that the harvests will end earlier, with a greenhouse at 12 degrees instead of 20. But some have decided to plant only half of the seedlings or to throw away one part, in anticipation of the difficulties of selling their production. Indeed, to be profitable, French tomatoes should see their price per kilo double on supermarket shelves, forcing consumers to prefer tomatoes from Spain or Morocco, which are cheaper. Unless the supermarkets cut their margins.
Producers fear a price collapse during the summer, as more tomatoes, from full land, will arrive on the market. The surge in the price of gas could deal the deathblow to greenhouse cultivation which is singled out, even if the sector defends itself by explaining that it has developed systems to limit the impact on the environment.