“We have to produce what we can sell,” said Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard

The Agriculture Ministry on Monday announced a fund of 130 million euros to support the uprooting of vines, while the wine sector is in crisis.

“We have to produce what we can sell“, announced Tuesday 25 November at ICI Hérault (formerly France Bleu) Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, the day after the announcement of the government’s aid plan for grape growers, including 130 million euros for uprooting vines. Structurally, there is “excessive production of red wine“, admitted the minister.

The sector is also facing “economic events that contribute to worsening the situation: import duties, geopolitical possibilities that disrupt export markets“, but also”climatic events, the fire in Aude, a combination of difficulties that require the State, once again, to step in and help a sector that remains a mainstay and source of French pride.“, he said.

Therefore Annie Genevard presents “emergency measures, measures of a social nature, but also measures that must provide a way out of this crisis, because it would be pointless not to try to take into account the obstacles that have hampered this sector for many years.“, “with special attention paid to young people as they are the most vulnerable group. They are generally in debt and we must be able to help them overcome these difficulties.“, explained the minister. The aid plan also promises to reduce social costs by 15 million euros.

France also wants to mobilize European crisis reserves. “The European Union actually has a crisis budget that can be spent to overcome economic difficulties.“, not for”funding which is a fundamental measure, but the EU could perhaps finance, for example, refining, a way of dealing with excess stocks outside the market. Some underground warehouses are already full, so we must be able to handle this surplus among both independents and cooperators.“Annie Genevard is waiting.”European Union response” at this point.

The Minister will go to Pérols (Hérault) this Tuesday morning to inaugurate Sitévi, the international trade fair for the grape, grape, arboriculture and olive sectors held until Thursday near Montpellier. According to him, wine promotion is very important for the survival of this sector, as is “the need to talk to each other“.”This sector must continue to build its structure and must communicate with itself so that it can attack the export market in particular.“, he explained. The Minister considers it production”upstream is one thing, but there is also downstream, which is the way we promote our wines, the sales“.