the Reason is caused by a coronavirus pandemic quarantine, which was closed all the restaurants, cafes, and most importantly numerous fast-food outlets, where fries – mandatory menu item.
Says the owner of the farm for growing potatoes Alain Duckers from the town of avesnes-Le-Sec, in Northern France: “I don’t know what to do with thousands of tons of potatoes. Likely to rot, and the loss will amount to over a hundred thousand euros.”
Some desperate farmers have issued a call to residents of nearby villages and towns: they say, come with bags, I will give a big discount. But thus, as it turned out, could at best get rid of hundreds of pounds, but not many thousands of tons, which in doverennye times in industrial volumes purchased canteens of schools, institutions, mass catering.
“This is a real disaster and I am absolutely not inclined to exaggerate its scale,” – said recently one of the leaders of the National Union of potato producers Bernard Ashta. According to him this year will not be able to sell 450 thousand tons, and the total losses of the farmers only in this area will go beyond the limit of 200 million euros.
In the span and turned the brewers, especially in the region Of Haut-de-France bordering with Belgium. They produce great craft beer. This product is a mini-brewery is in demand among fans of this drink. It is traditionally bottled in kegs – the special barrels from 20 to 50 liters. They are mainly intended for bars, cafes, but not only. At weddings, music festivals are “draught” is also a great success. Alas, all of these public events COVID-19 in mid-March has put a fat cross, and it means that craft brewers have left.
So, Jean-Christophe Come, owner of a small brewery not far from Lille, the stock has accumulated 300 barrels of beer. His mood is at zero: “I don’t know what to do. The expiration date is in August of this year, and my clients still have not opened their establishments. If the situation does not change soon, will have to seriously think about what to do with these kegs”.
As calculated in Association “Brewers of France”, there is a risk that about ten million liters great but not designed for long storage of the drink, this year will be in the ditch.
Note that some farmers still managed to attach the excess products. So, sugar-beet growers have found a solution: send unsold root crops for processing into alcohol, which, in turn, pharmacists used to prepare antiseptic gels.
