French drought's unlikely winners: salt farmers

STORY: The blistering heatwaves that have hit France have produced a reluctant winner.

Salt farmers in the northwestern Guerande area have seen production soar.

The region makes the so-called 'white gold' of the salt trade, which sells in the U.S. at more than $100 a kilo.

Francois Durand is a salt farmer.

“We’re heading towards record production. At the moment, we’re looking at over 2.5 tonnes for each pan, while the average of the last 10 years has been 1.3 tonnes."

Guerande usually sees variable Atlantic weather, but this year it has experienced more than 40 days of almost nonstop sunshine and light winds.

That has turbo-charged the evaporation process which produces the salt.

It means little rest for those who work the salt flats.

The workers wheel barrows along narrow mud walls and scrape sea salt from the bottom of the flats, using techniques that have changed little over four centuries.

Audrey Loyer is a salt worker.

“The salt workers are tired. I think it’s been more than 40 days without a break. There hasn’t been enough rain on the flats to justify a break.”

Several salt farmers told Reuters they now had reserves to cover the next couple of years.

But while they have seen short-term benefits to the heatwave, other parts of France have dealt with wildfires and water shortages.

France's salt farmers take little pleasure in being one of the few winners from a scorching summer.