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Endive producers, who grow using artificial light, are worried. Their electric bill exploded, as well as the charges. The vegetable, acclaimed during confinement, is now shunned by consumers.
In Vélu (Nord), the production of endives is magnificent, and the season promises to be exceptional. Only, the electricity bill exploded. “We go from 5.89 euros in full winter time to 22.20 in full winter time. So you almost multiply by four”, entrusts an endivier. Yellow or red, the endive spends 21 days in the dark at 16 degrees. Before being sprouted, its root, grown in the open field in summer, is kept at negative temperature.
The culture of chicory is greedy in energy, but also in labor. Seven people work in the farm visited by the France Télévisions teams. The purchase price is in free fall. Large distribution absorbs 85% of production, and currently pays 80 cents per kilo, against 1.20 euros last year. “I did the accounts with the boy who just took over the business, every day that passes, it’s about 900 euros less“, confides Daniel Bouquillon, endive producer.
Consumers are also shunning the pearl of the North, after having acclaimed it during the confinements. In the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, 4,000 direct jobs depend on chicory, a vegetable with many virtues, local, economical and seasonal.