A little more patience and the absence of mustard pots on the shelves of our stores will only be a bad memory. The mustard seed harvest has just ended in Burgundy, and the results are very good. The yield averages 18 quintals per hectare, a third more than usual. The 220 mustard producers in the region are smiling. Starting with Fabrice Genin, producer in Marsannay-Le-Bois, and president of the mustard seed producers in Burgundy. “The spring weather helped us a lot” emphasizes this producer, “And this year, we weren’t bothered by insect pests that are capable of destroying an entire crop. It must be said that we have adopted new, more resistant varieties.”
End of the shortage this winter?
The 2022 harvest will now be entrusted to manufacturers such as Dijon Céréales. From September the seeds will be sorted, then crushed before being potted around November. “From December, January we will also have the arrival of seeds from the USA and Canada” says Fabrice Genin, “which should put an end to the shortage on our shelves.”
– Philip Garcia
A better price for producers
The other good news is that this crop is once again becoming attractive to farmers. “With uncertain yields, we are today around 220 producers in Burgundy. The prices for the 2022 harvest were defined a year ago, before the shortage. We will be paid 1350 euros per tonne. With the strong demand from industrialists , the 2023 harvest is already sold at a price of 2,000 euros per ton. We are therefore launching a call to find new producers. We would need a hundred more to reach 10,000 hectares of mustard grown in Burgundy. That’s quite possible, this only represents 2% of the arable land in our region.”
At the time of barbecues and delicious grilled beef ribs, we hope you have a touch of mustard left to put in the corner of the plate. You can still find them in specialized stores in Dijon. (and good grocery stores or the brand new Cité de la Gastronomie), one more reason to come for a short stay in the pretty capital of the Dukes.
– Stephanie Perenon