Supplies of UK-grown forced rhubarb are running tight in the UK leading traders to look to the Netherlands to supplement availability.
"We are looking at a very light season from England and a greatly reduced crop," said Ian Waller of Redbridge AFI. "We are also getting product in from Holland which has not flagged up as many problems."
According to one of the UK's leading growers and supermarket suppliers, Janet Oldroyd Hume of E Oldroyd & Sons, the problem is two-fold.
"Over the past 10 years there has been a significant increase in autumn temperatures and as we can't start forcing the rhubarb until it has had the required cold units, this has affected pre-Christmas availability," said Oldroyd Hume. "We used to always have rhubarb before Christmas, but you just don't see it now, only Dutch supplies. And this year the drought in the summer and into the autumn means that growers are expecting low yields of the early variety Timperley."
Three factors are vital in the production of roots for forced rhubarb: cold, moisture and nitrogen and this season temperatures and rainfall levels have let the product down.
As product is so short pricing is "not bad," according to Oldroyd Hume. "But there is a lot of class II product this year and the roots are throwing up thinner sticks," she said. "Out premium grade is Crimson Crown and we are not even attempting to take any product of that grade out at the moment."
It is hoped the season will pick up once Queen Victoria and Stockbridge Arrow come on stream later this month, but it is likely that they too have been affected by growing conditions before roots were brought into the forcing sheds.
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