High gas prices, further increasing production costs, virus pressure, storm damage - the Dutch greenhouse vegetable season is off to an uncertain start. That is according to Arie Middelburg of GreenMatch, which is involved in sales and pricing development. "Horticulture is being heavily attacked on several fronts at the same time," he says.
"The Russia/Ukraine developments aren't doing the sky-high gas prices any good. Growers are concerned about that. Growers' energy market positions vary enormously, but there's massive pressure on liquidity. That means an average later start for almost all the greenhouses, with a few remaining empty. No acreage expansion is planned for this year, at least for tomatoes and cucumbers."
"Less lighting and later average planting means especially tomato production will start considerably later. It's the same for cucumbers. And bell peppers, too, were planted, on average, slightly later. That will result in a significantly later start of the Dutch season. The concern is that this will lead to a temporary, simultaneous large supply peak towards the summer. Good marketing choices and the necessary planning are needed for the short and long term," says Arie.
"In Spain, some growers have chosen to plant, for example, a new cucumber crop instead of melons. Dutch growers might soon have to compete with a late Spanish crop at the season's peak. Cultivation plans have shifted, not only in the Netherlands. That, and the creation of additional scarcity in certain periods, means prices can sometimes increase greatly. But those could drop significantly too, due to temporary oversupply."
"I think tomato prices will be, on average, higher than last yet. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if this crop is profitable. Each greenhouse vegetable year is special, but this one's extraordinary. Besides our activities of vegetable sales benchmarking and associated data collection, we'll be expanding to top and soft fruit," concludes Arie, who has further developed the GreenMatch team to ensure the company's current activities can continue.
For more information:
Arie Middelburg
GreenMatch
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.greenmatch.nl
