The shelves in the British supermarkets are empty, but the British cucumbers are for sale in Singapore. Week 9 was another eventful week for the UK fresh produce sector.
The struggle in the UK continues. In recent weeks, the shelves in the supermarkets were empty, as the shopkeepers refused to pay a higher price for fresh products. Due to the cold in Spain and high energy prices, the prices of fruit and vegetable products have risen in recent weeks. Environment Minister Therese Coffey called on the British to eat more local, seasonal produce such as turnips rather than imported food that is in short supply. However, British wholesalers and growers made it clear that there are enough products available in the UK.
“As many northern European countries have postponed planting of exposed crops or have not planted at all due to energy prices, many British supermarkets are relying on more fruit from Southern Europe and North Africa this winter,” state the British growers of R&L Holt.
On Sandylands, their own exposed cultivation is in production: Roterno, Strabena and Yelorita. “Normally this starts in november, but last year we postponed planting due to uncertainty about energy costs and started picking in early January. So we are in production during this fruit shortage.”
Lee Stiles of Lea Valley explains how the cultivation of crops in Spain and Morocco under foil and without heat is slow due to the cold weather and the cancellations of ferries. “But more importantly, overseas growers in Europe can get higher prices, saving them a four-day drive to the UK, the extra paperwork, customs fees and the risk of returning with empty trucks.”
It is also the reason why the comment of Thérèse Coffey, Minister of the environment, was not very appreciated, to say the least. In the British House of Commons, she claimed that industrial greenhouses are “an emerging sector, not a long-established one.”
Two weeks ago, she suggested that the shortages could be resolved within a month. According to Lee, most of the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants from Lea Valley are picked in May, and the cucumbers in april. “If UK greenhouse growers don’t get the right price for their produce, they won’t plant early. This is the second year this has happened.”
Basically, it is possible to grow in Great Britain all year round, there are local and imported products on the market, but there is a price tag on them. That is also why British products, despite the vacancy of British supermarkets, can be found elsewhere, even in Singapore. Although they are far from cheap: the cucumbers cost £ 3.30 each. As we published last week, many UK supermarkets refused to pay that price.
What will happen in the coming days and weeks? The supermarkets will have to choose between paying more for their fruit and vegetables or running out of fruit and vegetables, because it does not look like the amount of fresh products from Spain will increase quickly, quite the contrary.
Last week, temperatures dropped again in the south of Spain. Earlier in Week 9, the lowest temperature in Almería was 12 degrees, these days it becomes 5 degrees. There is enough sun, but with these temperatures the plants get problems, with further delays as a result.
Unfortunately, there is more to it. Due to the cold, some crops in the south are currently not bearing fruit and many growers have switched to new spring crops. A new deficit may therefore arise in the coming weeks.
In a few weeks, production will start in Northern Europe and also in the UK. “Our conventional crops will start no later than usual in other places from later this week and mid to late March. The UK growers generally expect most conventional crops to be in production in april, which is a normal start date,” R&L Holt growers say.
