English cucumbers are always a welcome sight on retail shelves and as producers gear up for the new season, there are hopes that the sector can build on last year’s achievements.
Unfortunately, light levels have been poor and Derek Hargreaves, technical officer of the Cucumber Growers’ Association, says they have been down by as much as 15 per cent in some parts of the country. “I had one grower who called me in mid-January and said the number of joules produced one day was in single figures, which is very uncommon,” he tells FPJ.
Poor light levels do not necessarily delay the harvesting to any significant extent, but it does mean that the size and shape of the crop can be affected and yields can be reduced.
However, while the poor light levels have affected many growers, Thanet Earth has bucked the trend. “The Isle of Thanet enjoys great light levels and we do seem to get a very different weather picture here to most of the country,” says Rob James, technical manager at Thanet Earth Marketing Ltd. “We have been very fortunate so far in comparison to what we are hearing elsewhere. We certainly weren’t affected to any great extent by the recent snow, for example.”
This year, Thanet Earth has brought its production forward and began producing cucumbers in the last week of January. It anticipates getting an extra six weeks of production this season. “We expect to improve our yields this year, using the experience of last season,” James says.
Thanet Earth’s production accounts for some 10 per cent of all UK cucumbers and although output is targeted principally at south-eastern retailers, the producer is also looking to get better value from the sale of the whole crop, including those sizes that fall outside retail specifications. “We are hoping to build further on our own Thanet Earth brand, with more local sales opportunities, and to move into serving the foodservice market too if we can this year,” James tells FPJ.
Abbey View Produce anticipates producing similar quantities of cucumbers to last year and the firm sources cucumbers from around 25 Lea Valley growers, working on more than 70 acres of land. “A lot of the growers that work with us have gone back three generations,” says managing director Brian Hibberd. “Working in the business gets in your blood.”
Philip Schembri, one of Abbey View Produce’s group of growers, will be the first to sell cucumbers from the Lea Valley. He planted his crop at the end of December and the first volumes will be available from Sainsbury’s in the first weekend of February.
English cucumber growers produce either two or three crops a year and Hibberd says having a mixture of growers works well. “It’s good to have a balance of some growers producing three crops and others producing two crops to ensure there is a continuity of supply,” he explains. “It means that production is spaced out, therefore minimising disruptions and potential shortfalls.”
Producers are in a cautiously optimistic frame of mind and are anticipating lower input costs this year. “In general, energy costs are lower, so it is likely that other growers have been able to generate a crop earlier than last year but, again, the light levels are probably as crucial to an early start to the season,” James says.
Thanet Earth sells the electricity it produces to the National Grid and James says this helps to cushion against energy spikes.
Hargreaves says: “Thankfully, gas costs have come down and are better than they were - they were getting to a level where some growers just couldn’t make a profit.”
As producers faced crippling prices during the mid-noughties, some invested in combined heat and power systems, which produce electricity by burning gas, with the unwanted heat from the process being used to heat the nursery. This process also produces carbon dioxide, which is pumped around the glasshouse to aid plant growth.
Producers have benefited from this move and the recent fall in fertiliser prices, in particular phosphorous, has further created more optimism in the market.
However, Hibberd points out that although some input costs have fallen, others, such as the cost of plants, have risen. “Cucumber costs are higher by 10 per cent in some cases and other costs still remain high,” he tells FPJ.
Price is always a contentious issue, but producers say they were “not too bad” last season. Although it is early days, some believe that prices could also be reasonable in 2010.
Ongoing pressure from some retailers, however, remains a sticking point. “Although retailers know businesses have to be sustainable, there is a feeling that whichever grower offers the lowest price will get the business,” says one source, who declined to be named.
The UK sector also faces significant competition from the Netherlands and Spain. According to Hargreaves, Dutch growers overproduce in the summer and over the years this has had a knock-on effect on UK production.
“The UK area devoted to cucumbers has halved over the last 20-25 years to around 105-110 hectares,” says Hargreaves. “In contrast, the Netherlands produces on more than 600ha.”
The Spanish industry also enjoys the advantage of having lower input costs, especially heating.
However, James says the demand for British product remains “very high”, providing a marketing edge over imports. “Retailers are really listening and responding positively to their customers, who are now demanding much more information about growers,” he says. “It’s not enough to be labelled as British - it’s become more sophisticated and has drilled down to “local” and to more of a connection with the grower. We expect to see lots more of this in 2010.”
The production of pesticide-free cucumbers has generated interest in the cucumber sector, but Hargreaves questions whether it is a worthwhile exercise for UK growers. “Growing pesticide-free cucumbers is not necessarily worth the risk, as they are more expensive to grow and producers have to absorb all of the costs,” he tells FPJ. “The retailers won’t sell pesticide-free cucumbers separately so it will just fall in with the rest and there will be no price difference.”
Meanwhile, Enza Zaden is looking to build on its success as a market leader in the southern European cucumber market with its Borja variety, and is returning to the northern European marketplace after a 10-year absence.
“In this time, we have invested heavily and worked hard with our new breeding programme and now we are back with two new exciting varieties,” says Andy Beeston, technical sales representative at Enza Zaden.
Eiffel is a new cucumber variety for spring crops and Gulfstream is a summer-autumn type. Both varieties have been developed for the north-west European market and according to Beeston, the two varieties are of the best quality, high yielding, flexible and labour-friendly.
Enza Zaden has high hopes for Eiffel’s performance in the UK and the company says it is already doing very well in the Lea Valley and the north of England. “Eiffel is coping very well with the very low light conditions this year,” Beeston tells FPJ. “The fruit speed is a little faster and root development has been excellent. We are expecting good early production and high overall yield and quality.”
Gulfstream is also popular and has proven highly tolerant against mildew, achieving the highest volumes within the mildew-tolerant types. “With fast and even stem fruit production and superb-quality lateral fruit, this variety is creating a lot of interest for the second and third crop segments,” Beeston says. “It is selling itself.”
He adds: “We are a new contender in the cucumber industry and we believe that our genetic programme brings added value to English growers, with additional yield and extra fruit quality. The UK market is demanding top-quality seeds and we are able to deliver them.”
When it comes to breeding new varieties, the issues of quality production, disease resistance, shelf life and the efficient use of labour and energy are always top of the agenda.
The quality of the breeding programme is of the utmost importance, but Beeston says work on the ground remains paramount. “Enza Zaden is a partner to UK cucumber growers and we fully appreciate the help and commitment that UK growers have given us,” he adds.
While the varieties created for the UK market look similar to those imported by Spain, plant types do differ and Enza is in the process of developing different varieties adapted to the local climate and local growing conditions.
Thanet says it is happy with its existing varieties, although it is always looking for new innovations. “The greenhouse has been designed to fulfil its intended job of producing the preferred retail varieties and to grow them with optimum yield and quality,” James explains. “We grow using a high-wire system and only certain varieties are suited to this technique from a commercial perspective.”
With regards to long-term prospects, marketers say reinvestment is needed in order to safeguard the future of the industry. But the fact that the price of cucumbers has hardly risen over the last 10 years has made investment challenging.
Hibberd singles out thermal screens as one investment worth making. “Not only do they keep energy costs down, but some also act as a shading screen and they can protect the young cucumbers that have been replanted from extreme heat during the summer,” he explains.
Abbey View Produce is looking at a number of energy initiatives this year and is keen to explore waste management possibilities.
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