Dutch growers look back on a good 2012-2013 season
As the 2012-2013 season draws to a close growers look back on a satisfactory season. This week the first products from the new harvest in Holland have become available and the last of the products from the coldstores are being sold.
Speaking to a selection of Dutch growers we learn that on the whole the products that were put into cold store after the 2012 harvest stored well and fetched good prices. As far as ‘storage’ quality is concerned, carrots were the exception. For most products such as swede, black salsify, red cabbage, orange and green pumpkins, beetroot, chioggia beetroot and onions prices and sales were satisfactory. For celeriac and Jerusalem artichoke the result varied per grower. Some growers saw rising sales and good prices, others were less happy with how the season went. The sale of Chinese leaf cabbage, white cabbage and pointed cabbage were adversely affected by the competition of ‘new crop’ Chinese leaf and pointed cabbage from Spain. That looks like a trend that will continue to affect the growers in Holland. There was as yet an unexplained sharp fall in demand for parsley root which usually sees stable sales to the German market. We will return to the subject of carrots again later. This is an important item for the Dutch organic growers. Except for the closing weeks of the season prices were low, below cost price. The contracted carrots fetched a good price.
