The weather can be a cruel thing for growers. With rain causing chaos and making life difficult at harvest time, the constantly disappointing British weather gives producers one more thing to worry about when they get up in the morning.
And yet for carrot and parsnip suppliers, there’s been a very positive flip side to this coin. While consumers would have been expected to switch over to salads and barbecue food weeks ago, the miserable conditions have kept shoppers in a winter-weather mindset for far longer. That is backed up by the retail figures, with Kantar Worldpanel reporting that volume sales of root crops are outperforming the vegetable market as a whole [52 w/e 12 May 2013].
“For us sales have held firm as opposed to falling away slightly if the weather had been warmer,” confirms George Rivers, procurement director for Produce World’s roots division.
Other producers are reporting a similar picture. “Sales have remained strong for longer this year,” adds Terry Hawthorn, director at carrot and parsnip supplier Alan Bartlett & Sons. Hawthorn says there is a mixed supply picture at the moment, with old-season Scottish carrots staying on the market longer than usual but new-season crop running about two to three weeks late. The current prognosis is for the new season to begin in late June or early July.
That view is backed up Aberdeenshire carrot grower Philip Benzie, who supplies the Scotty Brand. “This year the cold and windy weather conditions have had a slight effect on our crops, including the new crop of carrots,” he explains.
“However, the cold soil of the region actually helps to preserve last season’s carrots in the ground and keeps them in peak condition. Our current early season is safely under cover, protecting it from the elements and severe winds. This not only protects the crop but will also enhance the growth of the carrots.”
For parsnips, the new season is likely to be mid to late-July rather than earlier in the month as usual, reports Rivers, while Hawthorn adds that this has been one of the best seasons in terms of parsnip quality, which he describes as “fantastic”. There is expected to be a six-week window of imports on the root veg before the new British crop comes on.
The mood overall across the carrot and parsnip sector seems to be one of guarded optimism. Guy Poskitt, managing director of MH Poskitt, says it’s been a challenging year, with growers tempted by other arable crops and a general lack of investment in new facilities as a result of narrow margins. However prices at the wholesale end, in particular, have been stronger this year and there is a sense of extra impetus in the category as a result of the prolonged sales uplift.
Hawthorn goes further, saying the trade is in a “much better position on prices” than a year ago. While admitting 2012 was extremely challenging for the trade, he adds: “There are glimpses of light at the end of
the tunnel.”
Growers will certainly hope so.
MORRISONS TAKES A SLICE OF CHANTENAY
Root crop specialist Freshgro has launched a new line of sliced Chantenay carrot snacks in Morrisons.
Under the brand name Shine, Freshgro is offering a Carrot & Houmous grazer snack pot featuring 80g of Chantenay carrots and 70g of houmous dip. It has also launched a Crudité Platter featuring sliced Chantenay, celery and cucumber with houmous dip.
As part of the sliced snack launch, Freshgro has invested and expanded its site with a new 250sq ft high-care area for the preparation of the Chantenay snack packs.Because of the unique shape and size of Chantenay, Freshgro has developed its own equipment and technologies to prepare the snacks.
To support the range, Freshgro is investing in a 12-month integrated marketing communications campaign targeting a wide range of potential consumers. The campaign will focus on the “Chantenay Way” – demonstrating the health, taste and convenience of Chantenay snacks as well as the heritage of its growers and its British-grown credentials.A wide range of markets will be engaged with through on- and offline activity, using creative public relations and social media platforms. —
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