Anger of farmers: Philippe, the last market gardener in Montpellier, quits for good

Philippe arrête la vente directe, ce samedi 27 janvier. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA

Après plus de vingt ans de travail, le Montpelliérain âgé de 55 ans rend son tablier avec un certain soulagement, fatigué par les obstacles qu’il a dû rencontrer sur sa route.

At Céréreide, between the two highways, the market gardening operation managed by Philippe is experiencing its last hours. "It’s an adventure that dates back to 1956, when my grandfather stopped growing vines because of a severe frost. He started market gardening, my father took over, and I have since 2003.

Established on one hectare, the Montpellier native cultivated "thirty to forty different products, in three to four rotations" of crops in the year. "Radishes, green beans, beets, peas, chard, all kinds of salads… It was a passion job. You always had to be on the farm. I worked a lot and earned my living."

He was not the only one. "There were nineteen market gardeners at Céréreide! Today, there is only me, and a large farm in Lattes. And soon there will be just her, since I have decided to stop permanently, this Saturday, January 27."

Because in twenty years, the Montpellier resident has seen the difficulties pile up. "The number of buyers fell considerably at the MIN (National Interest Market, formerly Station Market) and that deprived me of an important outlet."

Philippe tried direct sales on the farm, but after a good start, it declined significantly. Some customers mistake us for wholesalers. They forget that we are dependent on the climate."

The floods of 2014 were a first trauma. "I put together a file (for insurance) which took me forever and which didn't even reimburse me for the plants," he laments. "In 2017, I lost some greenhouses due to snow but I didn’not even fill out a file."

"Today you need to process ten times"

Faced with "idiotic standards"», he feels "solidarity" farmers. "Before, we dealt with one blow and it’s over. Today, you have to treat ten times with different products, and you don't even get the same result anymore."

Over the years, Philippe saw his income dwindle, to the point of taking a second job as a night delivery boy six years ago. "Luckily we had a little money aside to pay the inheritance tax when my father died. Because otherwise, we would have been forced to sell."

Having had back surgery four years ago, Philippe also had problems with the transitional village of La Rauze, which was built right next to his home, to accommodate the inhabitants of the Celleneuve slum. "My blood pressure went up to twenty because of this whole thing, and I'm still on treatment today."

In short, the heart is no longer there. "I’stopping the charges. And it’s out of the question that one of my children will take over the farm. Fortunately they are studying and have other perspectives. I will be able to see them more often. Because I'm going to be an employee and go from one to five weeks of leave per year."

At 55, the start of a new life. But there’s no question of stopping vegetables. "I'm going to plant twenty tomato plants for the family, and some potato plants too. I will make my vegetable garden, in fact. I'm not going to start buying vegetables today."

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