The weather related lack of lettuce in Spain is still impacting on the German lettuce market. Markus Zender, managing director of Landgard Obst & Gemüse Holding GmbH, reports: “The lettuce shortage in the growing areas around Valencia has led to increased prices and a decline in volumes. We observe heavy price fluctuations. The reasons for this are especially unpredictable weather-related influences.“A price forecast is almost impossible
Those unfavourable weather conditions, primarily in southern Europe have an impact on the salad market. “Currently the demand through the German food retail is on a normal level,” Zender says. “Because of the weather-related bottlenecks currently the demand cannot be satisfied to 100 percent.” Zender does not want to give a general price forecast. “Depending on the weather, the prices may change significantly within a very short time period. Because of this, a general statement on the price development is almost impossible.”
Iceberg and delicate lettuce varieties are in vogue
The end consumer is trending towards iceberg lettuce: “In sales we are seeing during the last few years a clear trend towards iceberg lettuce. Iceberg has the long dominant butterhead lettuce almost completely displaced.” In cultivation Zender detects a trend among the delicate varieties of lettuce: “New Lettuce trends in cultivation are mini romana and delicate lettuce varieties such as Salanova and Baby Leaves, varieties like rucola, corn salad.”
We cannot accept quality differences
“Currently, the quality is, due to weather conditions, continually rather bad,” says Zender, “But this is an exception, because we always observe an excellent quality in most cases.” During the German lettuce season Landgard obtains their products from local German growers. Off season, the company imports increasingly from Spain, Italy and France. Zender wants to offer his customers only their best products: “Our customers expect excellent quality. We see the lettuce absolutely independent of where it comes from. We cannot accept any differences in quality depending on the country of origin.”
Landgard with new concepts
Landgard is Germany's leading marketing organization in horticulture. The company belongs to its producers. Landgard's growers supply the company for 365 days a year with potted plants, cut flowers, fruits and vegetables. From 4th to 6th February 2015, Landgard was also present at the Fruit Logistica 2015 in Berlin. Among other things, the company presented a new consumer-oriented concepts for retail. Like “Deutschland schmeckt” or the new mobile website “Frag den Apfel”.
Markus Zender
Geschäftsführer
Landgard Obst & Gemüse Holding GmbH
Tel: +49 2839 59-4006
markus.zender@landgard.de
www.landgard.de