Wilfried Devillers / Photo credits: JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP 9:58 a.m., January 31, 2024
Farmers continue to go up to the Rungis market, in Val-de-Marne. Faced with the threat of a blockage of the largest food center in Île-de-France, traders fear delivery delays.
Tension gradually rises at the Rungis market. Farmers are approaching the largest food center in Île-de-France on Wednesday despite attempts by the executive to dispel peasant unease and convince demonstrators to stop their mobilization.
>> READ ALSO -
LIVE - Blockages: farmers tighten the grip on Paris, negotiations continue
Waste of time and money
At the entrance to the market, police checks become stricter and more frequent. Long lines of vehicles stretch to the A6 motorway. Traders are mainly concerned about delivery delays. In the cabin of his semi-trailer, Jonathan taps his steering wheel, annoyed. He has been waiting for more than half an hour to be able to enter Rungis. “The goods arrive late. We have everything we need to be able to deliver to customers. We may have to go elsewhere, we’ll see,” he explains on Europe 1.
>> READ ALSO -
Should we fear shortages in Ile-de-France supermarkets if farmers block the Rungis market?
Hicham, a greengrocer, is also thinking of sourcing through a channel other than Rungis. This Wednesday, he will set up his stall in Courbevoie at least two hours late. "The market starts at five o'clock. I'm late. It's complicated for me to buy what I need and make a display. It's a loss," says the greengrocer.
A waste of time but also of money, especially if the products run out in the event of a blockage. Hichem took the lead. Usually, the greengrocer goes to Rungis on Friday. He made the trip this Wednesday to make sure he had enough stock of goods.