| |
|
|
Home
»
Media/Education/Jobs
»
Products and features >> Features
Features
Picardie : a land of many riches
Picardie is an ideally located region with many assets, including an efficient agriculture and a dynamic economy on a European scale, due to its strategic position. Its natural riches also make it region of traditional, authentic gastronomy and top quality products.
With a surface area of 19 400 km2, Picardie has three departments, the Aisne (02), Oise (60) and Somme (80), and roughly 2.12 million inhabitants. Amiens is the Prefecture of the Region and the largest city, with about 137 000 inhabitants. The northern part is made up of vast chalky, alluvium-covered plateaus, while the southern part is more diversified, with plateaus for large-scale farming, humid valleys surrounded by pastures. Picardie gives onto the English Channel via a narrow coastal facade, on either side of the Somme estuary. The region has many rivers (Somme, Aisne, Oise, Authie, Thérain, etc.) and large ground water reserves fed by the nature of the soils, which retain rainwater. Forests account for 12.5% of the territory and include some of the most beautiful forests in France (Compiègne, Chantilly, Ermenonville, Crécy, etc.). Because it is near the sea, the climate is oceanic, although more continental towards the east. Picardie has many natural parks (including the Parc du Marquenterre in the Somme bay) congregating a large number protected species.
With is GDP of €14 billion, representing 2.5 of the national wealth, Picardie ranks 14th among French regions. Primarily geared to the production of intermediate goods (metallurgy, chemicals, plastics, etc.), industry is one of the drivers of the Picardie economy (12.4% of GDP). Picardie has just over 620 000 employees and the service sector accounts for 70.9% of the jobs. Agriculture accounts for 3.7% of jobs and the food industry sector (over 15 000 employees) is one of the assets of the region's industry with about two hundred companies. Picardie is also the largest employer in the national sugar industry with 28.4% of the jobs.
An efficient agriculture
Thanks to its temperate climate and fertile soils, Picardie has been a farming region for a long time. The utilized agricultural area covers 1.32 million hectares, or 70% of the regional territory. Picardie agriculture is dominated by large-scale farming on cereal crops with 713 280 hectares (wheat, barley, winter barley, maize), oil-producing crops (rape, flax) with 111 200 hectares and high-protein crops with 49 800 hectares (peas, horse beans, etc.). The surface areas devoted to sugar beet (130 000 hectares) have dropped by 9% in the last ten years, but the region is still the leader in the French market with a production of 10.7 million tons, or over one third of domestic output. Picardie ranks first for potatoes used in the potato flour industry and second for potatoes for consumption with a total surface area of 42 000 hectares and a total volume of 2.1 million tons. Similarly, in ranks very high in endives (153 000 tons), beans (60 000 tons), garden peas (48 000 tons) and spinach (13 500 tons). The emblematic marshlands used for vegetable farming around Amiens (300 hectares) also supply fresh vegetables. Besides the centuries-old production of pears and apples, Picardie also cultivates red berries (strawberries, raspberries, red currants, blackcurrants) mainly in the Noyon area, a large part of which is used in the food industry. In addition, Picardie agriculture has turned toward new non-food outlets (ethanol, biodiesel, fibres, biopolymers, etc.). It has also pioneered the implementation of alternative production methods like reasoned agriculture and integrated production.
Picardie has also turned to organic agriculture with 5 485 hectares (0.4% of the utilized agricultural area). The largest vegetable crops are forage, cereals, grasslands, high-protein crops and vegetables. The animal husbandry concerns poultry (71 000 hens, 1 400 chicken) and dairy and beef cattle (1 300 head).
In addition to large-scale crops, Picardie is also an animal husbandry region. In 2009, the cattle population totalled 543 800 head, with 128 620 dairy cows and 76 900 nursing cows, for a milk production of 10.5 million hectolitres, or 3.9% of domestic production. The pig population totalled 174 120 head, with 63 540 fattening pigs and 17 690 sows (50 kg and over). The sheep population is roughly 96 500 head, with 66 300 ewes. As for poultry, the total comes to just over 5 million fowl.
A hunting and fishing region
The great diversity of the natural environment lends itself to cynergetic activities and the region counts about 60 000 hunters. With a wealth of waterfowl (mallard, teal, widgeon, gadwall, pochard, snipe, etc.), Picardie is the foremost region for hide hunting (2 200 hides) in France. It also has a lot of large game (stag, roe deer, hind, wild boar, etc.). Similarly, hunting for small game animals (hare, wild rabbit, etc.) and fowl (partridge, pheasant, woodpigeon, etc.) is very developed. There are many hunting methods such as driving, flushing, battue, hides, hounds or on horseback, the latter being quite popular in the Oise department.
With 40 km of coastline, many rivers, marshes and ponds and lakes, Picardie has exceptional fishing resources where numerous species are present. The saltwater species include herring, sole, bass, whiting, mullet, plaice and shrimp and the freshwater species include eel, pike, pikeperch, carp and trout. Shellfish are also common (cockles, mussels, Saint-Jacques scallops, etc.).
Complementing the fishing industry, aquaculture has long been practiced in Picardie. It ranks in third place after Aquitaine and Brittany with over 3 500 tons of trout per year from about thirty fish farms located mostly in the Somme department. The environment is particularly good for breeding salmonidae (top quality water, low temperature variations).
The local produce
Picardie owes its reputation to its rich lands and the quality of its products. These include salt meadow lamb (AOC 2007) that grazes on the salty, iodized flora and pastures of the Somme and Authie bays, which gives the meat a characteristic flavour. Raised by traditional methods, “porc d’antan” is a natural product obtained by breeding pigs in straw and feeding them on cereal, which makes the meat very tender with a delicate colour.
Cultivated on stakes, the Soisson bean is the largest in France, distinctive for its long pod with a very thin skin and pleasant taste. Rhubarb from Abbeville is grown on more than five hectares and sold as a jam, compote or even a juice. Rhubarb tart is a Picardie specialty. Found on the dunes of the English Channel coast, sea buckthorn is used to make an excellent jam.
Rock samphire is an emblematic product of the Somme Bay. About 800 to 1 000 tons (80% of the domestic market) are hand-harvested every year. It contains many mineral salts and it can be served raw, cooked or pickled.
Watercress from Bresles has a crunchy texture and a slightly peppery taste. Two varieties are cultivated, one in summer (small leaves) and the other in winter (large leaves).
The thick, straight carrot from Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme grows in sandy soil and it is known for its tenderness.
The Chinese artichoke from Marquenterre is a small tuber cultivated in sandy soil, which has a chestnut flavour.
Vimeu and Amiens apples are cultivated in three varieties (Tête de chat, Reinette Fardel, Jacques Lebel) to make cider and for general consumption.
Picardie mustard is mild or slightly bitter. It is ground by millstone and made with cider and cider vinegar or beer.
Gastronomy and specialties
Picardie gastronomy is simple and traditional. It is inspired by the region’s local lands and traditions. The typical dishes include the “ficelle picarde” (crepe with ham and mushrooms), various “flamiches” (savoury pie with leeks or onions), “rissoles laonnoises” (meat or fish fritters), Amiens duck pâté (whole duck preserve with spices and cooked in pastry), eel stewed in a cider sauce, pike with cider, cockles with cream or in an omelette, sautéed shrimp, veal chop à la Bellovaque (speciality from Beauvais with mushrooms), and “menouille picarde” (made with bacon, potatoes, onions and dried beans). The famous cheeses from Picardie are Maroilles and Rollot. Maroilles is a soft cheese sold as a slab, with an orangey-red washed rind. It is made in Thiérache, and matures in cool, damp cellars. Rollot is a heart-shaped soft cheese with a yellow washed rind made in the Somme department.
As for desserts, Picardie offers the “gâteau battu” (delicious brioche cylindrical cake), “coechons d’oeillette” (turnovers with a poppy seed filling), “tarte à l’badré” (a sort of custard tart), “cugnots” (brioches), “rabotte” (apply in short crust pastry) and Chantilly cream.
Champagne Picard (AOC) is a first class wine produced on 2 827 hectares in the south of Aisne department with a total volume of 215 000 hectolitres (15% of French production) from the Pinot Meunier grape variety.
Lastly, Picardie produces a mild, not too bitter lager called “Colvert” (7°), and apple and pear cider made in the Oise department.
Francis Duriez
Sources :Cons. Région Picardie, DRAAF Picardie, Chbre Agriculture Picardie, Agreste, CRCI Picardie, INSEE, Terroirs de Picardie, Librairie Gourmande Paris
Crédit photos : OTC / Robert Boesch
Pro reviews
Crédit photo : FD
Frédéric Bonnard
(General Manager of Dessertenne – fruit and vegetables sector - Rungis)
"Our line is evenly split between fresh produce (potatoes in 12.5 kg boxes and bags totalling 2 500 tons, 1 500 tons of onions, 500 tons of endives) and industrial products (fresh ready-cooked French fries, fruit salads, peeled garlic, vacuum-packed potatoes, raw, scrubbed peeled potatoes, etc.), representing an overall volume of roughly 8 000 tons. We sell three products from Picardie, namely potatoes, onions and endives. The potatoes are grown in the Santerre region, which has deep, rich soil; the onions (Saveurs de Picardie) come from the Oise department and the endives from the Somme. These are regional products of a consistently high quality developed by serious, reactive producers. I come from Picardie so I really know these products and how best to sell them. Furthermore, the supply is easy and the transport cost relatively low. These products are popular with all of our clientele, composed of wholesalers and semi-wholesalers (60%), market retailers (25%), and restaurants (15%)."
Crédit photo : Conseil régional de Picardie
Anne Ferreira
(Vice-President of the Regional Council of Picardie, in charge of economic development, agriculture, research and innovation)
“Picardie is the ultimate nourishing earth. It ranks as France’s top producer of sugar beet and peas and second largest producer of potatoes or endives. Picardie contributes greatly to France’s surplus balance of trade in the food industry. Picardie farm production represents 5% of national production, for only 3% of the surface area and population. This efficient agriculture has led to the creation of a powerful food industry.
The Picardie region allocated a budget of 8 621 000 Euros to agriculture in 2011. We decided on some strong priorities, such as improving the quality of water, preserving animal husbandry, creating value added in short channels and developing organic agriculture.
We feel that when we support agriculture and the IAAs, we create jobs that cannot be relocated in innovative farming or maritime activities. For example, the Region supports IAA investments in equipment to develop new products if they integrate better energy efficiency into their development.
The Regional Council has allowed the regionalization of the Agrospheres association, which coordinates and federates the IAA and develops services aimed at these industries.
Agriculture is a major lever for economic and social development, like regional development. The Region, in close cooperation with researchers, industry and the farming world, has decided to revive the tradition of building close ties between agriculture and industry, such as when the Picardie known for its cathedrals used to export sheets in a colour known as “Amiens blue”, extracted from a regional plant called woad.
Picardie is currently positioned in the global avant-garde of the agro-resources sector, notably with the industrial and agro-resources centre.
Thanks to these very early, widely-backed strategic choices, Picardie has managed to successfully manage the agro-resources transition, by reinventing its farming and industrial identity.
The success of the P.I.V.E.R.T project, which explores and develops the sectors involved in recycling plants for industrial purposes, has now concretized that goal.
Wool, textile fibres or plants used in dyeing have supplied the energy for development, yet without distracting agriculture from its foremost function, which is to feed people. In some ways, agriculture and the food industry have always been linked. This is the region’s past, and its future too.”
Crédit photo : FD
Patrick Mauvée
(Managing Director of Mauvée – fruit and vegetables sector - Rungis)
“We have been at Rungis Market since 1969. We currently sell roughly 1.6 million parcels in total. Our flagship products are apples and pears (3 400 tons), endives from Picardie (2 400 tons), cucumbers (1 100 tons) and cauliflower (220 tons). Our clients are retailers in stores (65%), semi-wholesalers and local authorities. We sell the endive from Picardie throughout the year because it is a traditional crop in that region and a top quality product that my father was already selling back when he started in the business. Furthermore, Picardie’s proximity simplifies our supply chain. We also sell the curly endive from Picardie, which is a fine, tasty traditional product popular with restaurants. You could say that Picard producers are serious, rigorous and they are careful about quality and know-how. Picardie is a wonderful region for tradition, a nourishing earth enhanced by its local produce.”
Crédit photo : www.agrospheres.eu
Philippe Hincelin
(Director of the Association Agro-Sphères - Picardie)
“Agro-Spheres is an association of food industry businesses from Picardie, created in 2005, which has 90 members (very small, small and medium-sized companies, large industrial groups, training organizations, technical centres, educational establishments, local authorities, consular chambers and food industry service providers). The objective is to bring all the actors of the sector together to boost and speed up projects at local and regional level, in order to improve the sector’s competitiveness and its development in France and for export. Our association’s tasks include coordinating and promoting the sector, supporting companies in their development by providing precise solutions to companies’ needs, promoting the regional territory and prospecting to attract new business to Picardie, by providing turnkey solutions. Agro-Sphères is the key contact for the regional food industry network and it works in partnership with all the economic and institutional actors.
Located in the centre of the large consumption and production basins, Picardie has a strong agriculture, a strategic geographic positioning close to Paris, Lille and Northern Europe, a top quality workforce and infrastructures, which are all assets for our sector. Picardie is the largest producer of sugar beet, the second largest potato producer, and it is also a major region for the production and transformation of cereals and vegetables, even housing the largest canning facility in Europe. The Picardie food industry sector is diversified and dense with 15 000 jobs and 200 companies for only three departments, ranked 10th nationally. The sector is dynamic and the future is promising.”
Back to the list
|
|
|
|
