The confidence of the Flemish greenhouse vegetable growers has increased considerably. The bi-annual business cycle index jumps from 74 to 97. The figure for ornamental growers falls slightly from 93 to 89, according to the bi-annual business cycle index conducted by the Flemish Agricultural Monitoring Network of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to gauge business confidence.
The index ranges from 0 (very negative) to 200 (very positive).
Greenhouse vegetables
After a sharp dip in the index in the autumn of 2018, this spring the index for greenhouse vegetable growers is sharply rising again from 74 to 97. But growers are pessimistic about future prices: 60 percent expect a negative price evolution. At the same time, 18 percent of growers expect to expand their production.
Specifically for soft fruit cultivation, an emerging greenhouse segment, no figures were published.
Floriculture
Among ornamental growers, the index drops slightly from 93 to 89. For the coming six months, ornamental growers with a mark of 98 do have a lot of confidence, although it should be noted that the ornamental horticulture sector is very diverse. Random sampling shows that no less than 41 percent are considering expanding (a decrease of 8 percent compared to 2018), while 4 percent are thinking of reducing the production.
Obstacles
A falling number of farmers and horticulturists have encountered obstacles in the past six months. The number is falling from 85 to 75 percent, mainly due to better weather conditions. The greenhouse vegetable growers indicate that they encounter the least problems in regard to governmental obstacles.
Investments
After an increase in the course of 2018, the willingness among farmers and horticulturists to invest is declining. For the total of all sectors, the percentage falls from 37 to 33.
The results are based on a survey conducted in March 2019 among 454 respondents from Flemish agriculture and horticulture. The overall business cycle index rose from 79 to 82 in the spring of 2019. Here you can find all the previous overviews (in Dutch).