The harvest is in full swing in Saint-Gilles for the Camargue rice “Canavere” of the Benoit family

The harvest should last the whole month of October in Saint-Gilles for the Benoit family who offer Canavere rice varieties. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

The harvested grain is then placed in a silo to dry. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Jean-Louis Benoit, riziculteur passionné. Sa famille est engagée dans ce secteur depuis quatre générations. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

For four generations, the Benoit family has been immersed in the world of rice farming. They are experiencing a new harvest this year in Saint-Gilles that should last the entire month of October.

A stone's throw from the Rhône-Sète canal, this Thursday, October 3, in Saint-Gilles, the combine harvester is traveling through the rice fields, closely followed by egrets ready to catch other specimens of Camargue fauna that escape as the machine passes. It is on these lands that part of the Benoît family's production is found. The one who has been immersed in the rice environment for four generations at Mas Canavere.

This Thursday morning, Jean-Louis Benoit appreciates the north wind, this winning mistral, perfect for the harvest because it dries the grain and thus accelerates the harvest which should last a month. The harvests are staggered for early and later rice on a good part of the 250 hectares.

A little late for harvest

They really started this week, a little late because of the capricious weather in spring, between inadequate temperature and humidity. “We couldn't sow so we lost ten days”, confides Jean-Louis Benoit surrounded by his wife Françoise, his daughters Clarisse (sales manager, marketing) and Noémie (responsible for analyses). The small company has eight employees including Nicolas, Guillaume and Carole (preparation).

A semi-aquatic plant, rice needs water constantly. That's why in the spring, the rice fields benefit from ten centimeters of water taken from the Rhone delta.

However, the rice must be on the surface of the soil to benefit from the sun's rays. It is sown in May, according to Jean-Louis Benoit, “broadcast, at a rate of 200 kg per hectare. The rice, once in contact with the water, will sink gently, settling at the bottom of the seedbed. There, May temperatures are suitable for germination. The minimum temperature is 14 °C. Below that, it is no longer vegetative. Ideally, it is 20-22 °C in May. Its vegetative cycle is seven months."

Shucking, cleaning and sorting

Last week, grains were collected, the moisture content examined, before starting the harvest. “Since the moisture content is too high, the harvest is put in silos to dry. The content will drop to 13% moisture, a classic threshold for any cereal to be preserved. To maintain the quality of the grain, we will be able to hull it to order. As long as it has the husk, the grain is protected. We hull it at the last moment.”

After husking, cleaning and sorting, the harvest (a little less tonnage than last year) arrives in the premises that allow the rice to be packaged in different formats according to the customers' wishes. Beyond the harvest, Jean-Louis Benoit also likes to point out that, without Camargue rice, “it would be a salty desert. After the damming of the Rhone, there was rice growing and some people noticed that the fauna and flora were returning.”

He also knows that local production represents only a few grains of rice compared to global production: 800 million tonnes compared to 60,000 to 70,000 (20% loss after hulling) on ​​12,000 ha for Camargue rice. This does not prevent local rice farmers from shining thanks to the quality of their recognized production. Among the Benoits, hope is there for a new harvest full of promise.

Canavere products with rice varieties from the Benoit family. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Crackers, beers with Camargue IGP rice… many Canavere products

For over 30 years, Jean-Louis Benoit has launched his packaging company (with three lines created) in order to market Canavere products in large and medium-sized stores, in delicatessens and in catering for communities. Some packaging has benefited from the design of the painter Michel Tombereau.

The rice is also exported in 500 gram and 1 kg bags. Canavere markets different varieties of Camargue PGI rice, from blond beer to Camargue PGI rice, red beer to match the demand of catering and gluten-free. “It is made in Barbados. My sister Noémie and I had the idea during the lockdown. It took us a year to find the recipe,” says Clarisse Benoit. The latter, whose ideas are flowing, was unable to complete the production of rice chips because the cost of electricity was too high for one of the partners.