“There are proposals made by the government but we don’t have the instructions”, deplores Jean-Philippe Granger, president of the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture, guest of France Bleu Périgord on Wednesday March 23. Faced with the war in Ukraine and the explosion of commodity prices, the government presented its resilience plan on March 16. The state will unlock 400 million euros in aid for farmers, who will also be able to have certain taxes reimbursed in advance. “It is urgent because it is today that we must cultivate”press Jean-Philippe Granger.
The problem, according to the president of the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture, “it’s the cash that’s missing”. “For animal production, today you come home with production costs that are not paid for by the product”he explains. “So the producers are asking themselves questions: do I continue to produce while losing a lot of money or do I stop producing and I lose a little less money? We encourage people to produce and we will look for solutions!” According to him, the problem is of the same order for crop production : “Your cultivation costs will double, you will harvest but you will only have the cash in November!”
“Where did the 50 cents go?”
All these questions were raised duringa session of the chamber of agriculture of the Dordogne, this Tuesday, in Coulounieix-Chamieix. Rising fuel prices continue to worry Périgord breeders. “During the 2008 crisis, the price of a barrel of oil rose a little higher than at present and it did not exceed 1.50 euros at the pump”remembers Jean-Philippe Granger. “While there, we exceeded 2 euros! The question we ask ourselves, in the room, is where did these 50 cents go?”
However, the president of the chamber says he is aware that these increases have also a strong impact on purchasing power the French. “Tomorrow, the priority is to fill up the car rather than buy strawberries or foie gras”he acknowledges. “We are aware of this risk…”