Germany: tighter supply and firmer prices of lettuce

The effects of large amounts of rain in some parts of Germany this summer has been increasingly felt in the outdoor production of lettuce, reports the German agricultural market information service (AMI) on their website. On the one hand there is crop failure in the fields due to bad quality, and this makes the market therefore smaller. On the other hand, there is a momentary lack of harvest ripe lettuce due to the lingering obstacles that occur when planting during rainy periods.

Another reason for the tight supply is a delay in the growth of the upcoming lettuce varieties. The growth has slowed due to the shorter days and lower temperatures, so there is no rapid transition from one variety to the other.

Despite the fact that sales are relatively slow due to the vacation period, the availability of high quality goods is becoming increasingly difficult. It is mostly in the southern and western regions of Germany (and in the northern growing regions too) that the quantity is clearly smaller than has previously been the case. This has already led to a clear increases in price. However, Belgium still has lettuce (provisionally) at relatively average conditions. This is having an inhibitory effect on the price developments in the neighbouring area of Western Germany. The basic trend is clear however: a tighter supply and firmer prices, because this same development is being seen with other kinds of lettuce as well.