The asparagus harvest in Brandenburg is in the second half of the season and strawberries are getting ripe. Now there is another product in the region.
The first greenhouse peppers “Pepper Made in Brandenburg” are currently harvested. The harvest is five to eight metric tons per day, states Petra Lack, the managing director of the Brandenburg fruit and vegetable farm Werder Frucht. The harvest mostly exists of the red variety and are mainly traded and sold locally.
The company has started growing the vegetables this year for the first time. According to the company an investment of around seven million Euro erected greenhouses on five hectares in Bralitz in Bad Freienwalde (Märkisch-Oderland).
Werder Frucht already wanted to go into the pepper cultivation about ten years ago. However due to lack of demand, the project was shelved. "Whether this time it is a success, we will decide at the end of the season," said Lack. The harvesting season in the greenhouses is expected to run until autumn.
Only about two percent of the almost 300 000 metric tonnes of peppers (2013) sold nationwide are locally produced. The plants are farmed on 64 acres of greenhouses, mostly in Baden-Württemberg. The vegetables in German stores come mainly from Dutch and South European suppliers.
Peppers (Capsicum annuumm) are challenging for vegetable growers. The nightshade variety needs a lot of heat and light. The commercial cultivation is only successful under glass. Peppers became popular in Germany after the Second World War.
The fruit and vegetable farm Werder Frucht was founded after the Berlin wall fell. At 500 hectares grow fruit trees and fruit shrubs and strawberry plants. In addition, bananas, canned food, wines and juices are sold. Werder Frucht has 150 employees.
Source: www.lr-online.de