With erratic weather patterns dominating the last quarter, vegetable crops around Europe have taken a hit and, in some cases, non-European imports have been brought into the UK for staples.
As the last of the Scottish and English carrots dwindled away, French sources were late to start exporting and so wholesale markets in particular have seen a shortage of good-quality product, with carrots coming into the country from as far away as China.
Southern France was hit by the tail end of the hurricane-force winds that caused havoc across Europe last quarter, meaning that production was knocked back by up to 14 days. The market has seen product coming in from Israel and Portugal, as well as Australia.
The UK has imported more carrots from non-traditional sources than ever before this season, which has caused mixed feelings within the industry. “On the one hand, imports coming from non-traditional sources really goes against the grain and I am dubious about the level of quality coming over,” says one insider. “We try to provide UK carrots 48 weeks of the year and we are proud of the quality and shelf life we provide, as well as our chemical integrity. We also work hard to satisfy consumer demand.
“However, we know that the shelf life of UK carrots has not been as good as it could have been in the last four weeks. Imports are important to keep the momentum going and ensure that consumers are still interested when the new UK crop comes on board. I guess we just want to have our cake and eat it.”
French carrots have just started to come onto the market in decent volumes and quality is high, as is the quality of Chinese product, which has also been grown and controlled to look perfect.
Last season’s UK carrot crop is still on promotion in some supermarkets, although shelf life continues to be short. Demand for carrots increased by around six per cent over the winter due to the seasonally cold weather, but the UK offer was below par due to poor weather during the growing season.
There has been an influx of broccoli coming over from Spain and prices have been depressed as a result, falling as low as 400p for 6kg. Both northern and southern Spanish sources came onto the market at the same time due to hot weather in the country and because of recent mild weather, demand is down in the UK and throughout Europe.
It has become too hot in Spain for courgette crops to grow well, as too much heat inside a courgette can cause softness and quality problems, and the season has finished slightly early. Suppliers have moved over to crop from southern France, where prices are stable despite growers pushing for greater returns.
UK product should be available by mid-June, with some growers aiming to have volume available as early as June 10. The first fruits are now showing on courgette plants that have been protected in the field by polythene and fleece. The weather has been kind, with rainfall and warm temperatures in abundance from mid-April to early June in Cambridgeshire. “We are looking forward to a good season,” says one grower. “The plant quality is good and there are very good indications that the season will last up until September - especially if good weather conditions continue.”
New-season UK carrots are expected to come on stream in time - within the next two weeks - due to reasonable sunshine hours and rain at the right time for the crop.
UK leek supplies tightened early last quarter, but later, spring growth brought increased yields and sufficient volumes. Demand was slightly down, possibly due to leeks being more expensive compared to other vegetables on the market, but summer demand looks good as lower prices are indicated for the season to come.
The UK cauliflower season has also seen some ups and downs, but reports coming in indicate that the worst is now over. Dry weather caused a shortage of product from April, but rain in May corrected the situation. Now the summer crop is in full swing prices should stabilise.
A shortage has been coupled with higher than usual demand, which is a direct result of last quarter’s British Brassica Growers’ Association (BGA) Save the Cauliflower PR campaign that swept the national papers, publicising the fact that UK cauliflower sales were decreasing every year.
“The demand for cauliflower has increased slightly,” says the BGA’s vice-chairman, Alistair Ewan, “and I am full of optimism for the season. Why shouldn’t we be optimistic with such an excellent vegetable? Brassicas in general are extremely good value for the consumer and they are very good for you.
“But we have got to continue to provide consumers with information and recipe ideas. It is lack of information on how to cook the product that is holding us back. There are now a lot of ideas for recipes out there and the BGA website will soon be up and running with links to all kinds of recipes. The BGA is hard on that - we want to make sure that people know how to cook brassicas.”
Demand for British vegetables is up by 10 to 15 per cent compared to last year for some suppliers and the buy British trend bodes well for a good season for summer vegetable lines. “We are trying to do as much British product as possible,” says one insider. “It makes sense because imports are more expensive and there is more consumer demand for them anyhow. This may be due to price, or consumers thinking about their carbon footprints, or just people wanting to support the British economy - but it is far different to last year.”
THE ALLIUM ALLIANCE REVEALS ALL
The 2008-09 UK onion season, close to completion, produced a crop that was harvested and stored in good condition, which meant that the crop lasted for a longer period, writes Malcolm Gray, managing director of The Allium Alliance.
UK onion supplies fared well in this time as extended availability resulted in a reduced demand for imported product from the southern hemisphere, which would usually market from around mid-May to the end of July. Although imported volumes from the southern hemisphere have been reduced this season, the quality has been very good.
UK plantings for 2009-10 appear to be slightly less than last season. However, the weather patterns during the growing season will be a major contributor to yield, quality and, of course, bulb size at harvest.
The majority of UK production will have the benefit of irrigation, usually on the lighter soils, while the remainder grown on silt soils will not have this, and so will become more reliant on good growing conditions. It is currently expected that the first UK crop will be slightly later on the market than usual.
I have been involved in the onion industry for more than 30 years and formed The Allium Alliance 11 years ago, to specialise in the production and marketing of onions. The marketing offices are located in Spalding, where administration and technical staff support procurement and marketing staff. Most sectors of the industry are serviced from here. This includes providing processing, catering, cash and carry, foodservice and wholesale businesses with product from the UK, the EU and further afield, from such places as Chile, New Zealand, Australia and so on.
While it is a fact that the imports from both Chile and New Zealand are down considerably this season, there do appear to be reasonably large stocks of onions available in the Netherlands, which will possibly last to the end of June.
This, coupled with the current UK stocks of coldstored and controlled-atmosphere stored product, means there will be sufficient stocks to avoid any shortages.
It is almost certain that the new UK winter crop will be harvested slightly later than usual - maybe in early July - but with the Netherlands’ stock position as it is, it is not likely that there will be any shortfall during June or July, which is traditionally a difficult period.
New Spanish crops are currently available, but with very little skin and, as a result, shelf life will not be good. So I would recommend purchases of Spanish stock in only very small quantities until the skins become set.
With reference to imports from within the EU, we have seen significant increases in the cost of production due to higher prices for seed, fertiliser, distribution and, more recently, the exchange rate of the euro to sterling.
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