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This Monday, July 10, representatives of the fruit and vegetable sector of Reunion sounded the alarm about their situation, while Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had made favorable announcements to them a few months ago. But nothing is on the horizon.
JCTS / JG / PR
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Published on July 10, 2023 at 1:04 p.m.
This Monday, July 10, the Reunionese Interprofessional Association of Fruits and Vegetables (Arifel), the Chamber of Agriculture and the agricultural unions of the island met in Saint-Denis, in order to take stock of the sector to The meeting.
Reunion La 1ère report:
Professionals take stock of the fruit and vegetable sector
Promises from the Prime Minister in May
Because professionals are worried about the future of the fruit and vegetable sector, especially when the objective is to achieve food sovereignty. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, visiting Reunion last May, had nevertheless promised the sector support to cope with the ecological transition while assuming a strategy of progress towards food sovereignty.
First arbitrations not at all up to par
But in reality, the arbitrations of the POSEIDOM 2024 (Program of options specific to the remoteness and the insularity of the overseas departments) are not very convincing with regard to the overseas territories. professionals who spoke on Monday.
We wrote to Ms. Borne to tell her that the first arbitrations that came to our attention did not at all meet our expectations overseas, begins Daniel Moreau, president of Arifel.
We have made a number of proposals around food sovereignty and agro-ecological transition, which do not seem to have been heard by the services of the Ministry of Agriculture. We ask Madame Borne to make the necessary decisions so that overseas fruit and vegetable agriculture is supported
Daniel Moreau, president of Arifel
Neither heard nor considered
What the president of Arifel would like for the sector are measures to, for example, have seeds at a good price, have the means to deal with diseases, or even better support in cooperatives. However, for the moment, the fruit and vegetable sector feels neither heard nor considered, he said.
There is an inconsistency between announcements and acts
The secretary general of the Chamber of Agriculture, Olivier Fontaine, says he is disappointed by this insufficient state support for the sector.
There is an inconsistency between the announcements and the actions: but in Reunion, there are many courageous farmers who produce between 70 and 75% of fresh fruits and vegetables, they want to be part of food sovereignty . If we don’t help them today, they will have big difficulties
Olivier Fontaine, Secretary General of the Chamber of Agriculture
The major problem, according to him, is the explosion in the cost of inputs. But there is also the increase in costs, the difficulties in finding labour, the vagaries of the weather, phyto-sanitary problems…
An expected political decision
To deal with all these problems, the fruit and vegetable sector says it has made proposals adapted to Reunion, as part of the improvement of POSEIDOM. Problem: none have been accepted yet. Alternative measures have been proposed, such as the production of more local inputs, explains Olivier Fontaine, who hopes that decisions favorable to overseas farmers will be taken during subsequent negotiations.
We are writing to the Prime Minister to announce our dissatisfaction and tell her that compared to her announcements when she came, there is nothing concrete. (…) The State must take a political decision and translate it into real deeds.
Olivier Fontaine, Secretary General of the Chamber of Agriculture
