Despite a good harvest, the French gariguette is suffering from competition. Poorly protected legally, the French variety is now grown abroad.
It is a regular on summer tables. Mainly grown in the west of France, the gariguette has been delighting the palates of gourmets for almost fifty years. However, this variety of strawberry is increasingly facing competition. And could eventually see its production relocated abroad.
To understand how we got to this point, we need to go back in time. In 1976, the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) – which became INRAE in 2019 – created this variety of strawberry. “Its taste, a subtle balance between sugar and a hint of acidity, illustrates the strategy of the French sector which focuses on taste quality, to differentiate itself from our competitors”, explains Émeline Vanespen, director of the Association of National Producer Organisations (AOPN) of strawberries and raspberries, to Les Échos. The product was a success but at the end of the 1990s, the gariguette fell into the public domain.
The Interprofessional Technical Centre for Fruits and Vegetables (CTIFL) then took over from INRA to ensure that the variety did not lose its properties. A monitoring that ended in 2021, meaning at the same time the withdrawal of the gariguette from the French catalogue which lists fruits and vegetables. Since then, only the registration of the variety in the European catalogue still allows its marketing.
Problem solved by the end of the year?
To remedy this situation, the AOPN is trying to take on the role of gariguette policeman in turn to be the “official maintainer of the variety”, according to Émeline Vanespen. AOPN technicians have selected three strains considered to be the best to ensure the future of the fruit. An application was filed in April 2024 with the Study and Control Group for Varieties and Seeds (Geves), a structure bringing together INRAE, the Ministry of Agriculture, and members of the interprofessional organization for seeds and plants. The decision is expected before the end of the year.
In this context, gariguette still manages to seduce consumers. The variety represents a fifth of the strawberry production carried out in France this year (estimated between 58,000 and 77,000 tonnes). A performance that can be explained by the continuation of the production of gariguette until July – a month later than usual – in the South-West and in Brittany to compensate for the bad weather. Be careful though: gariguette is already starting to be cultivated in Portugal, from where it is then imported… to France.
Our Iberian neighbors are in strong competition with French producers, since the Spanish strawberry, less tasty but also less expensive, is the most sold strawberry variety in France, just ahead of gariguette. In total, one in two strawberries consumed in France is imported.
