Rungis And Dunkirk-Port To Build European Agri-Logistics Hub

France’s Rungis International Market and Dunkirk-Port have signed a partnership agreement to create a European-scale agri-logistics hub dedicated to logistics, processing, and the enhancement of food products.

L-R: Frédéric Loiseau, Maurice Georges, Stéphane Layani and Patrice Vergriete

The initiative seeks to secure the long-term supply of Rungis Market, reduce dependence on foreign ports, and create greater value within France.

By encouraging the transit and processing of goods through French ports. the collaboration is intended to reinforce national food sovereignty, according to a press release from the partners.

The partnership brings together France’s leading agri-food port and the world’s largest fresh produce market, with the aim of strengthening synergies between the two strategic infrastructures. 

A central element of the agreement is the creation of a Rungis-Dunkirk agri-logistics hub which will be located close to the port’s container and cross-Channel terminals. 

The site is intended to strengthen value-added activities at the port while improving access to both the French market and key European markets.

Drawing on Dunkirk-Port’s land reserves and the expertise of both organisations, the project is designed to attract new investment, improve sector competitiveness, and reinforce the strategic roles of Rungis and Dunkirk within the French and European agri-food supply chain.

The hub will be developed within the Dunkirk International Logistics (DLI) zone, which has been awarded the ‘Choose France’ label and offers more than 350,000 square metres dedicated to logistics and agri-food activities. 

The partners said the platform will respond to increasing demand for performance, reliability, and decarbonisation across supply chains.

The agreement is structured around four areas of cooperation. 

1. These include positioning a leading agri-food logistics hub through joint commercial and communication initiatives;

1. Improving operational efficiency and traceability through stronger phytosanitary and customs partnerships; 

1. Accelerating transport decarbonisation through shorter, lower-emission routes, the study of a direct rail link between Dunkirk and Rungis, and support for fleet electrification; 

1. And strengthening international connectivity by promoting new direct maritime links between Dunkirk and major global hubs, particularly those supported internationally by Semmaris.

The partnership was signed on 8 July in Dunkirk by Stéphane Layani, President of the Rungis International Market, and Maurice Georges, Chairman of the Executive Board of Dunkirk-Port, in the presence of Patrice Vergriete, President of the Dunkirk Urban Community and Mayor of Dunkirk, and Frédéric Loiseau, Sub-Prefect of Dunkirk. 

By bringing together the world’s leading fresh produce market and a major maritime gateway, Rungis President Layani said the duo are working to build “an exemplary logistics corridor”. 

“It is a concrete response to the economic ambitions of our operators and a further step towards an ambitious environmental transition, guaranteeing both the greater decarbonisation of our flows and the food sovereignty of our country,” Layani explained.

The Port of Dunkirk, meanwhile, is not only an entry and exit point for food products, rather a benchmark for the agri-food sector, pointed out the port’s Chairman of the Executive Board, Georges.

“It has established itself as a benchmark hub thanks to the expertise of its entire port community, the commitment of handling companies, and the presence of major operators in the sector,” noted Georges. 

“With Rungis Market, we are today bringing together the expertise of two essential platforms in order to create new development opportunities and strengthen our country’s food sovereignty,” he added.

Looking ahead, the Port of Dunkirk still has considerable development potential, supported by modern infrastructure and a strategic geographical position at the heart of major European trade flows.

“This partnership with the Rungis Market is fully aligned with this momentum,” commented Vergriete, President of the Dunkirk Urban Community and Mayor of Dunkirk. 

“It reflects our shared determination to make Dunkirk an essential link in the French agri-food chain, capable of combining logistics performance, decarbonisation and food sovereignty.”