Like a thorn in the side of Graines Voltz

At Graines Voltz, the 2021-2022 harvest will not be as promising as hoped. The producer of seeds and young plants, which had already had a bad summer on the stock market, fell another 12.4%, to 79 euros, this Thursday (and 48% since the 1^er January), hampered by an alert on its turnover. For the year ending September 30, he only expects growth of 6.5% to 8.5% on a like-for-like basis over one year, while he forecast a 10% increase in mid-July. . This implies that activity in the fourth quarter will be at best stable, at worst down around 14%, after an increase of 10.2% over nine months. ” It is always very difficult to make forecasts in such uncertain environments. Our feeling is that the fundamental trends that support our market are strong and will not be permanently affected by the current context, or even, they will even come out stronger. », believes CEO Serge Voltz.

Between Ukraine, inflation and weather

In the short term, it will be more complicated. The context remains very degraded, between the conflict in Ukraine, inflationary tensions and unfavorable weather conditions. ” According to Météo France, spring 2022 ranks 3rd hottest since 1900 and 3rd driest since 1959, with a rainfall deficit of 45%. This unpredictable context at the start of the year had a real impact on demand since March 2022 and weighed on growth, which was weaker than initially expected. », deplore the Alsatian seed merchant. It relies on researchers to develop varieties that adapt to climatic hazards.