Henk van Doorne started his greenhouse fennel fourteen days ago now, but the beginning didn't go as he had hoped. This isn't due to the demand from the export customers, as it can even be called good, but cultivation problems are causing the exporter extra stress. "We have 20/25% drop out."
"The cold spring didn't help, but it's the school of hard knocks that we can't grow fennel year in year out. We will have to do what we can to tackle these problems from nursing them to steaming them out of the ground in the future," sighs Henk.
The Netherlands has few fennel growers left, and Henk supplies the largest share of it, although he had a smaller area for this cultivation. As far as prices are concerned the season started out mediocre, but now the prices have climbed up a little. "There is still more than enough import product from Spain, Italy and possibly some other countries on the market, but these are mainly dried out bulbs with no freshness left," concludes Henk.
The grower exports himself and also supplies some to exporters. "At the moment there is demand from Germany, France and the United Kingdom. It's all smaller parties, but I can't supply more in this situation." In the Netherlands he is hardly able to sell the fennel apart from to the exporters. "The consumption is at 47 grams per head of the population here, I believe."
For more information:
Henk van Doorne
Van Doorne Imex
Noordlandseweg 60-62
2691 KM 's-Gravenzande
Tel: 0031 (0) 174-417989
Fax: 0031 (0) 174-417989
Mob: 0031 (0) 6-26068284
For more information:
Henk van Doorne
Van Doorne Imex
Noordlandseweg 60-62
2691 KM 's-Gravenzande
Tel: 0031 (0) 174-417989
Fax: 0031 (0) 174-417989
Mob: 0031 (0) 6-26068284