French Farmers Look Beyond Food Production
France’s biggest farmers’ union, the FNSEA, convenes this week in Metz. Jean-Michel LeMétayer, the organization’s president, opened the conference with a focus on possible new markets as he faced an audience of farmers worried about bird flu and the subsequent sale crisis, according to this story on Reuters France. As the French business magazine Challenges explains, the agricultural sector is paying more attention to biofuels, production of natural fibers, and “rural tourism.” The title of the FNSEA’s annual strategy paper—”Beyond Food: Markets to Conquer”—confirms this orientation.
It is refreshing to see French farmers participating in an environmentally friendly initiative such as biofuel production. Expect some bitterness in their reactions to the FNSEA’s suggestions, though. If French consumers bought more food from French producers, rather than rushing to purchase low-cost imported produce, the farmers might not have to find so many ways to diversify their income. Hopefully the FNSEA won’t forget this battle.
