Illustration of an agrifood factory in Brittany. Here the Triballat site, in Noyal-sur-Vilaine. - C. Allain / 20 Minutes

  • The Breton economy shows a decline of 31% according to data from INSEE. A historically high figure but which is the lowest in mainland France.
  • The strong presence of the food industry helped limit the decline.
  • Certain sectors remain stricken, however, such as tourism, which is already losing nearly a billion euros.

"The granary of France". Brittany had never carried its nickname so well. Since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the region has been particularly mobilized to feed the confined country. According to a conjuncture note published by INSEE on Thursday, the region would come out a winner. If its economy has obviously suffered from the health crisis, it would be the least affected region of metropolitan France. The weight of agrifood in the regional economy is the main reason for this "resistance".

According to data from the statistics institute, the economy is down 31% in the region. A historically high figure but which would be the lowest in mainland France and five points lower than the national average (-36% of activity). Relatively spared from the epidemic, the region was first able to keep its economy afloat. Above all, it was able to count on its food industry. Down 5%, the sector is "slightly affected," says INSEE. "As this activity is very present in the region, this would limit the dropout of industry in Brittany", specifies the institute of statistics.

Coronavirus in Brittany: “We are not going to eat only pasta”… Food industry in doubt https://t.co/SYtP82gXrQ via @ 20minutesRennes pic.twitter.com/EC2rTWYZCJ

- 20 Minutes Rennes (@ 20minutesrennes) March 21, 2020

As elsewhere, scientific activities, administrative and support services are clearly on the decline (-44%) due to the epidemic. But their weight being less pronounced, the region would be less penalized. Ille-et-Vilaine, which concentrates the majority of these activities, therefore saw its economy fall by 33%, when Finistère fell by 29% and the Côtes d'Armor and Morbihan by 31%.

Heavy losses in tourism

The global health crisis, on the other hand, has squandered certain strong sectors of the region such as tourism. While waiting to be able to reopen its beaches, cafes and restaurants, the region has already estimated losses in the tourism sector at nearly one billion.

Note, however, that the downturn in the economy will have benefited the planet. According to INSEE, electricity consumption decreased by 14% during the first three weeks of confinement compared to the two weeks before. Road congestion was divided by 4.5 in Rennes on April 14 at 5 p.m. compared to the average observed at 5 p.m. throughout 2019. As a result, air quality improved: the concentration of pollutants would have dropped by 62% in Rennes with containment. Even if the region has experienced episodes of microparticle pollution on several occasions.

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