There is a new step in the cultivation of the Asian Bittergourd cucumber in the Netherlands; a grower and a buyer for the product have been found.
In early December, the Flevoland Development Agency called for a grocery store to sell the bitter cucumber. Various parties responded to the call: a grower, two trading companies and Andrew Vosselman of retailer Albert Heijn Voorhof in Lelystad. In early February 2016 all the parties will come together to make further arrangements.
The bittergourd is supposed to be very healthy because it contains several important substances, such as a high dose of polypeptides. In 2015 bittergourd was grown in a greenhouse at the Agricultural University in Dronten. The aim is to investigate the medicinal substances in the vegetable and to see if it can be grown in the Netherlands.
A study by a collective of Dutch companies and institutions supposedly shows that the bittergourd helps prevent diabetes 2. It also seems that the cucumber species grows well in Dutch greenhouses without using chemical plant protection products. In spring, summer and early fall this can be effected without lighting. The cultivation protocols for growing bittergourd in the Netherlands still need attention to increase the level of active substances.
Watch the video of the company visit to East-West Seed and Bittergourd plantation Vietnam in October 2015 (using images of Omroep Flevoland).