Pyrénées-Orientales: despite a harvest complicated by bad weather, the red apricots of Roussillon are there!
As every year, the first red apricots from Roussillon are presented to the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales. This year’s harvest is marked by low production due to climate change.
This year, the Roussillon red apricot, fruity emblem of the department, suffered a lot. Between the heavy rains in March and the frost in April, growers saw their harvests drop 40% from last year. To help farmers, the State and the department have set up a partnership with the Pyrénées-Orientales Chamber of Agriculture. The prefecture has already established an agricultural calamity recognition, which will allow affected farmers to receive compensation.
As every year, the first red apricots from Roussillon are presented to the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales. This year’s harvest is marked by low production due to climate change.
This year, the Roussillon red apricot, fruity emblem of the department, suffered a lot. Between the heavy rains in March and the frost in April, growers saw their harvests drop 40% from last year. To help farmers, the State and the department have set up a partnership with the Pyrénées-Orientales Chamber of Agriculture. The prefecture has already established an agricultural calamity recognition, which will allow affected farmers to receive compensation.
So there are small harvests but the fruits are bigger. The bad weather did not alter the quality of the fruit: it remains as aromatic and juicy as ever. With inflation and bad weather, will we see a sharp rise in the price of red apricots from Roussillon? Élisabeth Bonnet, president of the defense union of the AOP (an appellation obtained in 2016) apricot rouge du Roussillon, wants to be reassuring and explains “wanting a fair price for the producer and the consumer“. As a reminder, 80% of the fruit produced will be processed and 20% will be sold on the stalls.
Less numerous this year, but present on the stalls, red apricots from Roussillon were presented.
Posted , updated
