LE POULIGUEN, France – Through blistering heatwaves and drought that have parched the French countryside in recent weeks, one group has emerged a reluctant winner: salt farmers in the northwestern region of Guerande.
As temperatures climbed in recent months and almost inexistent rainfall turbo-charged salt water evaporation in the region, production has soared. Sea salt production over the last 10 years had averaged around 1.3 tons per salt pan but this year the yield was nearly doubled at 2.5 tons, he said. It is back-breaking labor: Under the baking sun, the workers wheel barrows along the narrow mud walls that separate each pan, scraping the sea salt from the bottom of the flats using methods and tools that have barely changed in more than four centuries. No machinery is allowed in the harvesting process.