Alliance Veille: an organisation serving the processed fruit and vegetable sectors

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing agricultural landscape, marked by climate, economic and regulatory challenges, the organisation Alliance Veille has established itself as a key player in the French fruit and vegetable sectors intended for processing. Through a collective and cross-sectoral approach, it aims to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and influence of these strategic sectors.

 

Sectors rooted in their regions

The crops represented by Alliance Veille — notably cherries, prunes and processing tomatoes — are deeply rooted in specific regions, where they play a major economic role.

Cherry production, for example, is mainly concentrated in the south of France, particularly in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Occitanie. Despite modest volumes on a European scale, France retains a leading position in certain segments, with an average production of 5,000 to 6,000 tonnes. This sector generates several hundred jobs, particularly in the Vaucluse, where it forms a pillar of the local agricultural economy.

 

The prune sector, iconic thanks to the famous "Pruneau d’Agen", is largely concentrated in Lot-et-Garonne, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It accounts for nearly €80 million in agricultural turnover and covers around 10,000 hectares. Despite high production potential, the sector has recently been weakened by significant climatic hazards, leading to a significant drop in volumes.

 

Finally, tomatoes for processing, although less developed in France than in other Mediterranean countries, remain a strategic crop. With around 200,000 tonnes produced, production is mainly concentrated in the south of the country and in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It supplies major industrial players such as Panzani and Mutti, which have a strong presence on the European market.

A significant economic weight

Beyond the volumes, these sectors represent a dense and structured industrial fabric. In the prune sector, for example, there are nearly 80 processing companies, generating around 6,000 jobs and an industrial turnover of around €160 million.

These activities contribute not only to adding value to agricultural produce, but also to maintaining local jobs that cannot be relocated, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of rural areas.

A collective strategy to meet challenges

It is in this context that Alliance Veille comes into its own. The organisation has chosen to adopt a collective approach in order to:

• pool skills and resources,
• strengthen producers’ bargaining power,
• anticipate regulatory changes, particularly those related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),
• defend the interests of the processed fruit and vegetable sectors at national and European level.

Faced with increasingly competitive markets and a partial dependence on imports, this structure appears essential to guarantee the sustainability of French production.

A European ambition

Despite volumes that are sometimes lower than those of its Mediterranean neighbours, France retains an influential role in the organisation of the sectors. In particular, it has helped to shape international cooperation in the tomato sector, through the organisation of global conferences and the development of professional networks at European level.

Alliance Veille builds on this legacy, championing an ambitious vision: to make French sectors recognised players, capable of influencing the strategic direction of European agriculture.

A forward-looking organisation

By bringing together complementary sectors, rooted in strong regions and generating employment, Alliance Veille embodies a concrete response to the current challenges facing agriculture.

At the crossroads of economic, environmental and political issues, it works towards a structured, competitive and sustainable agriculture capable of meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

The members of Alliance Veille

Producers:

• AOPn CEBI – Association of Bigarreau Cherry Producers’ Organisations
• AOPn Economic Committee for Prunes (CEP)
• CETOMI – Association of organisations of producers of tomatoes for processing

Inter-professional sections:

• ANIBI – Bigarreau Section
• CIPAG – Prune Section
• SONITO – Tomato Section