France: the shortage of mustard seeds is about to be reduced
Employees work at the Reine de Dijon mustard factory, in Fleurey sur Ouche, eastern France, on December 14, 2021. AFP - JEFF PACHOUD
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
For several months, jars of mustard have been rare on supermarket shelves all over Europe, and especially in France.
Blame it on a context of importing mustard seeds at a standstill, affected by high heat and pests.
But this year's harvest should boost production.
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A few years ago, French mustard production represented half of European production.
But since then, the supply of mustard seeds has plummeted, starting with Canada, the world's largest supplier.
#mustard #mustard shelves at the local @Monoprix so the #pénuriedemoutarde is very real here in #Paris anyhow!
No sign of my beloved Savora either.
pic.twitter.com/oFXWChvEdh
— Ciara Quill (@ciaraquill) July 25, 2022
Fabrice Genin, farmer and president of the Association of Burgundy Mustard Seed Producers (APGMB) details the production system: "
The manufacturers we work with have two main suppliers, Canada, for about 70% of their needs, and they had Burgundy for about 30% of their needs.
What happened in 2021 is that in Burgundy, instead of meeting 30% of their needs, we met rather than 15%, and in Canada they only had maybe 20% .
»
A catastrophic year 2021
The year 2021 was catastrophic, details the representative: “
We have problems with several factors, the climate and pests, and that lowers our yields, so we produce less.
And in Canada, in 2021, there was a heat climate problem, which they had in 2021, where it was 45-50 degrees and that meant that they produced nothing at all.
And the problem comes from there, with us there are never any stocks, we just produce what they order, the only seeds that are available all the time are in Canada, and since Canada has no nothing produced, they are in short supply at the moment.
»
Fortunately, this year's French seed harvest
should boost production
.
Available quickly for mustard producers, it should make it possible, by the end of the year, to completely fill the shelves with mustard pots.
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To read also:
2022, a complicated year for French mustard
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