With parallels to the sweltering summer of 1976, the drought that UK growers are experiencing at the moment is understandably the main talking point in the fresh produce category.
While almost all crops are suffering to some degree, few have been worse affected than onions, prompting a warning from British Onions that the industry is, on average, expecting a 25 per cent reduction in yield and size this season. Some parts of the country will be even harder hit, and chairman of British Onions Tim Elcombe has called it the “worst year” in the trade body’s history.
While the warm weather in May was initially welcomed as it allowed onions to catch up following the late drilling and planting that resulted from the wet spring, hot and dry weather in June and July have put the crop under considerable stress.
“Growers and their staff have been working round the clock to keep crops irrigated,” says Elcombe, “however there are a number of areas of the country where water abstraction is being limited and their own reserves are very low. Crops are irrigated at this time of year to put on weight and size. But irrigation is currently just keeping the plant alive – crops without irrigation are dying.”
Although most crops still have some way to go before they are harvested, the potential for a lower yield is “already apparent”, according to Elcombe. He warns that there is likely to be a lack of large onions, limiting the availability of the three-in-line packs sold in most retailers.
Price-wise, consumers could also take a hit. “We may not see it immediately, but at some point there will have to be price rises,” chief executive of British Growers Jack Ward told the i newspaper. With the prospect of tariff rises on cheese if there is no deal on Brexit, there have also been reports that cheese and onion crisps could become hard to find.
In spring onions, the weather is also a worry, with Northern Irish grower Gilfresh saying there are “huge concerns over yields and continuity of supply”. “We had a really, really poor spring and our planting didn’t get started on the main crop until 26 May,” explains head of sales and marketing Thomas McLaughlin. “Last year we started just over three weeks earlier.”
On the plus side, there has been a big spike in demand for the salad vegetable thanks to the sunshine and high temperatures. “At the moment we’re seeing a 29 per cent increase in volume sales this year versus last year,” says McLaughlin. “It’s just down to the weather.”
Garlic, which is heavily sourced from Spain, appears to have been less affected by the heatwave, which has been widespread in Europe. “Spain has had hot, dry weather but I’m told it’s not having a dramatic effect on the volume or quality of garlic,” says Robert Oldershaw of Oldershaw Group. “In general there were a few quality issues with last year’s Spanish crop but we’re led to believe that things are better this year, although producers only recently started harvesting.”
The trend for scratch cooking, and the success of recipe meal kits (which often feature garlic), continue to boost sales in the garlic category, with volumes up nine per cent in the year to 20 May. Looking at the global market, several factors could help to drive steady growth in garlic production in the coming years, namely population growth, government assistance for Asian producers and the development of frost-resistant varieties.
