Dutch greenhouse acreage drops for the first time in 10 years

The Dutch greenhouse acreage has decreased by 2.4% to 4,870 hectares. In 2011 this area was still 4,990 hectares, the same as in 2010. Before that the amount of designated land had been steadily growing for over a decade, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. The total area under glass has been on the decline for a few years now. The number of glasshouse companies has dropped as well, the figures show. 1,131 are still active, compared to 1,205 in 2011. In 2005 there were 1,803 horticultural companies, and as many as 2,511 in 2000.

The area devoted to eggplants is about 100 hectares according to data. The strawberry acreage has increased slightly, to 290 hectares. This is due to the increase of glass cultivation: the area under plastic tunnels is about equal.

The pepper acreage has dropped by 50 ha. The reason for this lies in the decline of the red pepper. The range for green peppers is constant, the one for yellow peppers even saw a slight increase. The tomato acreage is slightly lower than last year. The number of vine tomatoes and cherry tomatoes increased in 2012.