Food: the price of cucumber on the rise, producers worried

On the stalls of a market Pyrénées-Orientales, rare are the products whose prices have not increased in recent months. The cucumber now costs 1.50 euro each, on a stand. “We couldn’t escape it anyway“, says a customer. If a another states that he wants to remain faithful to local producers, a market gardener in the region is not very confident. “If the customer sees a foreign cucumber, for example from Spain, 40 cents cheaper compared to the French, the customer will automatically fall back on the Spanish cucumber“, does he think.

Part of the reason cucumber prices are up is because charges are rising. At one producer, the gas bill exploded, going from 200,000 to 800,000 euros. “At the same time, we have all the other costs that increase”adds Manuel Ruperezthe co-manager. According to them, there remains only the solution of state aid, or ofincrease the price of cucumbers. Negotiations are ongoing with distributors. If they do not reach an agreement, the producers have planned to lower their production.