14.10.2026 10:30
In France, farmers who uproot their vineyards due to drought and declining wine demand are given support of approximately 212 thousand TL per hectare. One of the producers' new preferences has become Antep pistachio, which is among Turkey's important agricultural products.
The climate crisis, extreme heat, and drought, whose impact is increasing day by day in France, continue to hit the country's iconic viticulture sector. Due to consumers' declining interest in red wine and growing financial uncertainties, farmers have begun making a radical decision: uprooting their vineyards and switching to crops resistant to arid conditions.
The government, in order to encourage this agricultural transformation, provides producers with grant support of approximately 4,000 euros (approximately 212,000 TL) for each hectare of vineyard uprooted.
PISTACHIO AND LEGUME ERA IN THE REGION
Farmers producing on the slopes of Mont Ventoux in southern France, with government and association support, uprooted part of their vineyards and planted pistachio saplings. It was stated that the pistachio, which was grown in the region two centuries ago but gradually forgotten, easily thrives in arid climates without requiring irrigation and reaches yield within 4 to 5 years.
Other producers in the Castelnau-Valence region are turning to field-grown crops with low water needs, such as lentils and chickpeas. Wine producer Jonathan Altier stated that lentil cultivation increases nitrogen in the soil, contributing to lavender fields, and that it has become easier to find a market with growing demand for plant-based protein.
"GRANT SUPPORT CAN COVER PART OF THE EXPENSES"
Although the French government's subsidy of 4,000 euros per hectare accelerates the transformation, producers emphasize that they have had to use their own personal resources due to the high costs of planting new saplings and supplying infrastructure and equipment.