France aims to increase the production of vegetable proteins
Audio 01:33
A farmer harvests soybeans in Voivres-lès-le-Mans, in north-western France.
AFP - JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER
By: Altin Lazaj
4 min
France wants to increase the areas devoted to crops rich in vegetable proteins.
The government detailed at the beginning of the week a plan which aims above all to reduce the dependence of breeders on imported raw materials such as soybeans.
Publicity
France does not produce enough vegetable proteins such as lentils, beans, rapeseed or soya.
France only supplies half of its protein-rich crops for animal feed, and only produces a third of its national consumption for human consumption.
The health crisis linked to Covid-19 has underlined more than ever the need for the country to regain food sovereignty.
To make the country more self-sufficient, the government has therefore decided to boost the national production of legumes and other vegetable proteins.
Its strategy is to increase by 40%, within 3 years, the areas devoted to these crops, ie 400,000 additional hectares.
In the longer term, the objective is to double the surface areas to reach 2 million hectares by 2030, or 8% of the useful agricultural surface.
A policy to which the players in this sector fully adhere.
To help these farmers increase their production, the State is ready to put more than 100 million euros on the table, via a fund that will finance production tools as well as storage infrastructure or the distribution chain.
This strategy will thus allow France to be less dependent on fluctuations in world markets and imports, in particular South American vegetable proteins such as soy, for example, which is widely consumed by animals.
It is also an environmental challenge for the government.
Soybean meal, imported mainly from Latin American countries, is sometimes responsible for deforestation.
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