The Dutch horticultural acreage decreased in 2015 by 290 hectares. The area of greenhouse vegetables fell by 80 hectares to 4750 hectares according to figures from Statistics Netherlands.
The decrease was mainly driven by a decrease in cucumbers (60 ha less) and tomatoes (30 ha less). Interestingly, the aubergines acreage rose for the first time in five years (from 100 to 110) and the strawberries under glass acreage increased further to 280 hectares. The fruit under glass acreage continues to grow as a whole: after a decrease in 2012 it’s back at 60 hectares.
Tomatoes
According to the figures the tomato acreage dropped somewhat after a small increase last year. This decrease is due to a decrease in cherry tomatoes: from 150 to 130 hectares. The loose and truss acreage are stable (resp. 370 and 1260 ha).
Bell peppers
The peppers acreage is stable as a whole, but the distribution is significantly changed. Yellow and green respectively decreased by 30 and 20 hectares. Red and other both grew by 20 hectares.
Upscaling
The expansion in horticulture also continues. Against 4420 companies in 2014 there were 4130 in 2015. Ten years ago there were 8600 horticultural enterprises active in the Netherlands.
View the acreage here.