Extended shelf life as a response to rising consumption
Faced with growing demand for squash during the winter months, the production area in France has increased significantly. It has grown twentyfold in 30 years. and continues to grow steadily, with the area under cultivation tripling over the last ten years to reach approximately 8,800 hectares (data from FAO and Agreste, 2022).
Red kuri squash is grown in summer, but is mainly consumed in autumn and winter. In theory, the Cucurbita spp. grown in France for consumption in autumn and winter have good storage capacity. For some varieties, this can be up to six months after harvest. However, despite steadily increasing demand, the main obstacle to increasing production volumes is the difficulty growers have in storing their crops for long periods. This is the case for orange-skinned squash, for which up to 30% losses can be observed after only three months of storage (source: CATE - Technical and Economic Action Committee). This observation applies to all French production areas: Brittany, Hauts-de-France, Rhône-Alpes and southern France.