Photo: PDM/FIS

France Unveils National Roadmap to Propel its Algae Sector Beyond Paradox

FRANCE
Thursday, April 17, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Despite Leading EU Production, France Aims to Reverse its Status as a Major Importer by Uniting Stakeholders and Boosting Innovation.

The French algae sector has a new strategic direction, unveiled by Agnès Pannier-Runacher at the Paris Agricultural Show.

The industry currently faces a significant paradox: while France holds the position of leading algae producer within the European Union, it simultaneously ranks as the world's second-largest importer of these resources.

To address this imbalance and foster collaboration among the diverse stakeholders – spanning cyanobacteria, microalgae, and macroalgae cultivation, wild harvesting, upstream production, and downstream processing – the French government has developed a national roadmap for the sector's advancement, as reported by Marielle MARIE from Produit de la Mer (PDM).

The fragmentation of the sector is evident in areas such as the requirement for professional organization membership, which currently only applies to marine-based cultivation. Furthermore, the markets utilizing algae are varied, including human and animal food, cosmetics, health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, bio-sourced materials, and biorefineries. Notably, the human food market remains underexploited, largely due to limited consumer acceptance. The roadmap identifies a critical need to address this by making technical, economic, and scientific data readily available and by bolstering research and development efforts. This focus should lead to increased resource allocation for key research organizations, including Ceva (Centre for Experimentation and Valorization of Algae), which is identified as a crucial partner in supporting businesses. The roadmap also emphasizes the necessity of financial support to enable start-ups to transition into stable and profitable enterprises, alongside the development of professional training programs specifically tailored to the algae sector.

To overcome these challenges and unlock the sector's full potential, the roadmap outlines five key strategic areas: improving governance and the regulatory framework, bolstering business competitiveness, developing knowledge and streamlining scientific and technical studies and projects, encouraging consumer acceptance of algae-based products, and promoting French excellence in the field.

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Print