The planned death of endive

Emmanuelle Ducros 8:49 a.m., February 26, 2024

Agricultural Show Week.

We know that the sector is a mine of absurd subjects.

You are talking to us today about endives.

And their planned death.

Do you like chicory and chicory?

France is the world's leading producer: 140,000 tonnes per year.

Enjoy it.

It's the season and it may be the last year that you will find them in quantity and at an affordable price on the stalls.

The industry is threatened with destruction.

When, during this agricultural crisis that we are going through, we talk about loss of food sovereignty, of sectors left without solution, we are here in a concrete case, with a clearly identified deadline.

What's going on with the endives?

The European Union has decided to ban three phytosanitary products next year, the names of which I will spare you, but without them, endive cultivation is threatened.

One of the molecules helps fight aphids, a truly voracious pest of endives and at present, no alternative solution exists.

This means that in the event of an aphid attack, farmers can lose all or part of the harvest, as happened with beets in 2020.

But precisely, after the difficulties in the beet sector, we heard a lot of the slogan “no ban without solution” from the public authorities.

It was brought back to the fore in the agricultural crisis!

Yes.

It's a textbook case.

Can France keep this promise for its farmers?

We know the mistakes not to make: we've already made them with beets!

The solution is to take the time to create a plan of attack to prepare the release of the products.

We mobilize resources, with regular milestones, to obtain new varieties, develop biocontrol techniques, or appropriate weeding robots.

But it takes a little time.

And the sector cannot take the risk of finding itself without a safety net.

Can she be heard?

She hopes so.

But it is a very small sector: 350 producers, 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, 90% in Hauts de France.

Niche production in three countries: France, Belgium, the Netherlands and also niche consumption: we eat it in six European countries.

Suffice it to say that chicory doesn't interest many people.

It could join cherries, hazelnuts, spinach, mustard, productions in decline for the same reasons: deliberately inflicted technical impasses.

Not trivial!

This also concerns inulin chicory, which is used to produce medicines.

Is there anything we can do?

Yes, but there is urgency: planting takes place in June.

Without a response by then, many farmers will throw in the towel and production will collapse.