With the harvest disturbed by the confinement linked to COVID-19, will you have all your red fruit jams in the stores in September?

We have all heard it on television, on the radio or on social networks : French agriculture has lacked arms for fruit picking and crops in general, because of the confinements practiced everywhere in Europe.

However, the small red fruits matured in France in April and May. Strawberries, raspberries, cherries and rhubarb … will you have enough red fruit jams in your stores in September?

What impacts related to COVID-19 on fruit picking in France ?

From March to May 2020, French arboriculture suffered a lot.

The confinements imposed in France and in Europe limited or eliminated the manpower necessary for the maintenance of the plots and for the picking. To help farmers, official or private initiatives have been put forward such as the possibility of going to work directly in orchards and crops by registering on the site : Arms for your plate.

Despite the mobilization, the operators lacked the manpower to treat, weed and especially harvest ! In addition, keep in mind that this local labor is more expensive than the usual labor from all over Europe.

Short circuits have also been organized to allow arborists to sell directly in stores, on the Internet or at collection points. Many of the harvested fruits have been sold and are no longer available for jams or other manufactures.

Last element : the high heat and drought observed during the confinement period affected the harvests in quantity and quality. The harvested fruit is smaller, the cost of labor allocated to the yield per hectare has increased.

What can we expect for red fruit jams ?

Andrésy Confitures uses 70% French fruit for its jams. It’s a strong commitment to French agriculture.

It is also a real engagement : the quantities of fruit available and their quality vary each year, depending on climatic conditions and the vagaries of the harvest. To this must be added the rapidly increasing demand from these French origins for fresh fruit, catering, and other manufactured products such as fruit juices, ice cream or compotes.

For 2020, the quantities of French fruit available for red fruit jams are therefore limited and market prices are increased.

What measures has Andrésy Confitures put in place to continue cooking its delicious red fruit jams ?

Once again the experience of the French jam maker and its historic partnerships with the harvesters makes the difference !

It should be remembered that Andrésy Confitures has been a source of French fruit since 1952. His knowledge of fruit, constraints and vagaries of harvests, the needs of producers and cooperatives allows him each year to anticipate at best and secure his fruit supplies.

Despite everything, the French jam maker is not a magician !

If he knows how to secure his markets and guarantee still delicious red fruit jams, he cannot find quantities of strawberries, raspberries or cherries that do not exist or prices disconnected from the realities of picking !

This is also what experience combined with expertise can bring : confidence in the reliability of the information communicated to its customers, even when this information is unpleasant to hear!