How is the soft-fruit season looking this year?
The glasshouse strawberry season was reasonable. It started a little later because of the cold spring, with lower exports to the UK and more to Germany and southern Europe. In terms of open-field production, some harvesting is taking place at the same time so there will be weeks with more production.
The blueberry season started at the end of June and production looks good - we have seen less frost damage compared to the 2011 season. Raspberries look good, especially the new cultivars from Plant Sciences, which have improved quality.
In terms of cherries, the Dutch crop is very good quality. The outdoor cherry crop is grown exclusively under cover to protect the fruit from rain and wind damage. New packaging was created for the export market with a special plastic storage bag that maintains quality. The Greenery has also been rolling out the use of QR codes on packaging since last year.
On redcurrants, prices have been good for the first harvest. We grow the early berries in heated greenhouses, cool greenhouses and in tunnels. The quality of the first redcurrants of this season has been good. There has not been much mould, so the bunches are nice and full.
What is the outlook from a production and sales perspective?
More and more Dutch and German retailers are ramping up their focus on soft fruit, which is good news for sales. There will be more production of soft fruit in the coming years, especially with new growers, better logistics and closer relationships with retailers. In partnership with growers, The Greenery is always looking to optimise the logistics chain, and improve cultivation methods, sustainability and product innovation.
How is the poor weather affecting sales?
There is always a relationship between sun/temperature and the production of and demand for soft fruit. If the weather is good, people ask for more soft fruit. But good weather is extremely important for production too. More sun brings better quality, taste, colour and shape. Of course, this effect is lower for glasshouse production. As the weather is variable, the situation changes on a daily basis.
The delay in the outdoor crop was positive for glasshouse production. However, the delay might result in peak
production. In The Netherlands, production forecasting has improved strongly in recent years. The Greenery and its growers introduced a unique Crop Planning System, which helps the growers to monitor the right time to plant. The online system also includes weather forecasts.
Before the season starts, growers can indicate their production volumes per week. The system then calculates the planting dates and updates the forecast continuously, adapting to temperatures and weather forecast. All of The Greenery’s soft-fruit growers use the Crop Planning System, which allows volumes to be adapted to the predicted demand.
Is a boost from the Olympics expected?
International sports events and fresh fruit are always a good combination, as we have seen with strawberries and Wimbledon. We realise the Olympics in London will lead to an increased demand for fruit and vegetables in the UK, and local production will be insufficient. Due to the size of The Greenery, we can respond to this higher demand for produce. -
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