Bouwe Piek from Geervliet started the first sprout harvest last Monday, August 24 and the sales of this is going strikingly well. "We can hardly meet the demand," laughs the sprout grower. The sprout prices are at a level around 90 cents for the coarser sizes and 70 cents for the finer sorting. "The autumn weather may be stimulating the sprout consumption. I can't think of any other cause."
"The yields are at a slightly lower level due to the dry spring. We do see that more growers are harvesting early. You can't harvest the potatoes and onions yet, and so growers choose a crop that can make money. But despite more growers offering product, it's still a demanding market," says Bouwe. "The expectation is that there will be less kilos this year. Due to the drought we didn't have rain on the sprouts in recent months. In the month of August we had 170/180 mm rain, but we can go out to the fields to harvest."
The sales of the grower's sprouts is taken care of by Van Oers United. "At the moment there is demand from England, France, Italy and Germany and part of the Dutch. Although the exact area figures aren't yet known, Bouwe doesn't expect expansion. "A few growers have stopped. This area may be filled up by the leftover growers, but there won't be any expansion. What is striking is that more growers are switching to cooled sorting. We have been doing this for around a decade and a half and it certainly benefits the shelf life in the chain!"