The marketing of domestic fruit and vegetables has been difficult so far. "In particular, the tomatoes commonly found on the market, i.e., cherry, mini vine, and vine tomatoes, were available in huge quantities, which led to some disastrous prices. In the cucumber sector, the price structure was satisfactory at the beginning, but recently prices have fallen noticeably so that we are currently significantly below last year's level," summarizes Andreas Brinker, sales manager at Gartenbauzentrale Papenburg eG.
"The season has been quite tense so far, as there was simply too much produce on the market due to the good weather in the spring. These weather-related surpluses, coupled with this year's holiday schedule, have caused a great deal of unrest. Overall, we are now hoping for the market to calm down in the second half of the season," Brinker continues.
© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
The team at Gartenbauzentrale Papenburg eG, with Sales Manager Andreas Brinker (center), at this year's Fruit Logistica
Cost increases & digitalization
Gartenbauzentrale Papenburg eG, one of Germany's largest cooperatives with over 40 members, is also caught in a constant race between rising costs and low prices. In addition to the minimum wage increase, rising logistics costs are also causing problems for the cooperative. Brinker: "There is a tendency for fewer freight forwarders to be available, which is driving costs up further. This will also be a decisive factor in the future."
The increasing shortage of personnel is also hitting member companies in Lower Saxony's horticultural hub hard. "The programs and campaigns are coordinated in close consultation with the respective food retail customers so that, in the interests of sustainability, goods are produced primarily in line with demand. However, to further increase efficiency in the individual companies, we have been increasingly focusing on digitalization for some time now. For example, an AI-supported process for forecasting paprika yields is being tested in its second year." Another digitalization measure is the use of a quality management application from Lippert. According to Brinker, these investments are necessary to remain competitive.
© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Papenburg producers. Clockwise: Jantje Schoenmaker and Sebastian Bürger (mini and snack cucumbers), Heinz-Jürgen Albers (hydroponic lettuce), and Björn Schubert (bell peppers).
For more information:
Andreas Brinker
Gartenbauzentrale eG
Schulze-Delitzsch-Str. 10
26871 Papenburg
Phone: +49 4961 801 150
[email protected]
www.gartenbauzentrale.de
