THE French government has announced a €200m fund to increase production and consumption of domestic fruit and vegetables.

Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau outlined the 'sovereignty plan' at France’s largest agricultural event, the Salon de l’Agriculture, on March 2. Approximately 50% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in France are grown there – a figure the French government seeks to boost.

Mr Fesneau said at the event: “When it comes to fruit and vegetables, we have had a loss of sovereignty across all parts of this market."

The French government said it would provide €200m toward the scheme, with €300m open to private investors looking to boost the agri-food sector. This would provide development capital to small-and medium-sized agricultural businesses, such as boosting automation and increasing competitiveness.

It comes as British horticultural businesses continue to struggle with unprecedented inflationary pressures, most notably on energy and labour costs.

In response, more than 35,000 people have signed up to the NFU's food security campaign as some supermarket shelves in the UK lie empty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The campaign seeks to galvanise public support behind the idea that supermarket shelves should never be empty of any food that can be produced by UK farmers.

The NFU has unveiled its new strategy to boost UK horticulture, which called for growers to have better access to crop protection, access to water and more government investment to spur on productivity.