France unveils €200m fund for home-grown fruit and veg

France’s agriculture ministry has announced plans to invest €200m (£178m) in its fruit and veg sector, to strengthen its productive capacity.

The French government says the sector is a “pillar of its food sovereignty” and the investment is part of its action to adapt to climate change and the agro-ecological transition.

France says only half of its fruit and vegetables are grown locally, and it wants to “support investment in production and encourage the consumption of these products”.

See also: UK growers call for urgent government action on horticulture

Over the next seven years, the government will inject €200m into the sector to make crop production more efficient.

The money will be spent on new agricultural equipment and robots, modernising glasshouses, research, development and innovation.

Agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said: “It is imperative to produce more and better, to meet the needs and expectations of French consumers and the effects of climate change.”

In the UK, against the backdrop of supermarket shelves empty of fruit and vegetables, the NFU this week published a horticulture growth strategy, which, if backed by the government, could minimise future supply chain disruption and deliver long-term growth.

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chairman Martin Emmett warned: “For too long, we’ve only had warm words from government about how important the horticulture sector is, but no detail on how it wants to achieve growth.”

Defra agreed that the domestic horticulture sector was crucial to the resilience of the nation’s food system and an important part of the wider economy.

“Our new farming schemes will support farmers to produce food profitably and sustainably, including £600m in grants for equipment to help farmers become more productive,” a spokesman said.