The French alfalfa sector, freed from gas to dry its crops, is better able to withstand market turbulence than its neighbors and now aims for a 100% European market by 2030.
French alfalfa has a major advantage: its dehydration ovens run on wood chips, not gas or coal. This energy transition, initiated long before the crisis, now protects the sector from the surge in gas prices linked to the conflict in Iran. “The energy shock linked to the war in Iran completely changes the game. We have no visibility in terms of exports,” admits Pierre Bégo, CEO of France-Luzerne. But for France, this shock is cushioned. Another structural advantage: non-road diesel fuel (GNR), used in agricultural machinery, “represents only 3 to 4% of production costs,” he points out. Therefore, the rise in fuel prices has little impact on French margins.
“Europa first”: a strategic pivot assumed.
The second largest European producer of dehydrated alfalfa with 725,000 tons in 2025, just behind Spain and ahead of Italy, France consumes half of its production domestically and exports the other half, 95% to Europe. The remaining 5% goes to the United States, the Middle East, Morocco, and Japan. Faced with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which cuts off trade routes to the Gulf, the French sector is taking a turn: “Our market can be exclusively European if the situation forces us. Europa first: it has become obvious to us, it is achievable by 2030. Even if we do not close the door to major exports,” asserts Pierre Bégo.
Spain in turmoil, France lying in wait.
The contrast with Spain is striking. Madrid exports 44% of its production to the Gulf – a market now blocked by war. The French sector had already halved its share of exports outside the European Union in ten years, anticipating the current turbulence. The crisis could even boost alfalfa cultivation in France for the 2027 season. The sector’s objective: to regain 70,000 hectares by 2030, up from 66,500 in 2025.
A green asset as a bonus.
Beyond the current situation, alfalfa ticks all the boxes for sustainable agriculture: water-efficient (non-irrigated in France), it stores carbon and enriches the soil with nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilizers in subsequent crops. These arguments resonate strongly in a Europe seeking food sovereignty and ecological transition.
