If certain candidates on BBC One’s The Apprentice believe they could “sell ice to Eskimos” then they should have no problem in retailing a carrot set to benefit from the boom in straw prices.
The Eskimo F1, which is grown by Vilmorin and sold and distributed by Nickerson-Zwaan in the UK, has been developed for its cold hardiness.
Nickerson-Zwaan believes after two cold winters, UK growers may turn to the sturdy vegetable, which is the “best variety on the market for frost resistance”.
Eight years in development, the carrot is high in sugars and dry matter and has a good length.
Sean Leather, commercial sales representative at Nickerson-Zwaan, told FPJ: “It has been on the market for five years but it could really kick off this year because straw prices are up and it could be a really cold winter.”
Some sources believe straw prices could rise by as much as 30 per cent this year and most carrot varieties rely on straw coverage to survive the period from December through to May unscathed.
The carrot was on display at the British Carrot Growers’ Association’s annual carrot variety demonstration and trade exhibition in Papplewick, Nottinghamshire last week.
Eskimo F1 has been trialled in Nottinghamshire, East Anglia and south-east England.
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