Francia: Potatoes at EUR 0.99, a Girondin producer organises itself to meet the strong demand

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They grow in a black soil composed of sand and humus: unlike the clay, this natural material remains light and malleable, allowing extraction of vegetables almost all year round. La Gironde is one of the few French departments where potatoes are harvested in winter.

The largest gyrondine farm is located in Saint-Jean-d-Illac. In the face of the explosion in consumer demand, Allix has invested in new machinery: they make it possible to double the quantities of small nets to a single and a half kilogram, sold to less than one euro, to supply the region’s supermarkets and supermarkets. 

Founded by a couple from Normans in 1970, the company produces 8,000 tons of potatoes of about 15 varieties each year. ’If you want to make fries, those sold at first price are not the most suitable but they are good for a lot of uses, such as puree or soup,’ says Samuel Allix.

In Gironde, potato production remains limited.  "It still covers two thirds of the local market", says Philippe Mouquot, adviser to the Chamber of Agriculture. Over the last five years, the area cultivated has increased from 1,000 to 1,600 hectares, but the department remains far behind the Hauts-de-France, which produces fifteen times as much.

Nevertheless, the Gironde stands, including in northern France. New potatoes are always ahead of other regions. When collected in June, they are in great demand in the four corners of the country. Not to mention the potato of Eysines, a market gardening commune of the metropolis of Bordeaux, also very popular at the same time. Known for its sweet taste, it "pees" only 400 tons nationwide but has its faithful followers and even its brotherhood.