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Arjan Freriks, Hagranop
Dry conditions means fewer early carrots
Early, B-grade carrots, have been harvested in the Dutch province of Limburg for three weeks now. The current weather conditions mean there is a lot of extra work. "Growers are fully irrigating to get the carrots to grow as well as possible. But you cannot be everywhere at once. So, compared to past years, yields are lower than we are used to. There are, on average, fewer nett tonnes per hectare. We, therefore, expect to finish harvesting earlier", says Arjan Freriks of carrot specialists, Hagranop.
The dry spell is being felt in other parts of the country too. "Last week we began with organic carrots from the Flevopolders. There, the carrots did also not grow as well. We are not expecting a very high yield there. There is demand in the market, and nett prices can be achieved. Then, naturally, lower yielding hectares are harvested", says Arjan.
The early carrots are destined for the fresh market, which is not affected by the drought. "The market is well balanced. This is thanks to the demand and the low supply. Prices are good", continues Frericks. "This week, the price for regular carrots was at the EUR0,30 per kg mark. Organic ones were selling at around EUR0,47 per kg. There is no change predicted in the weather forecasts. I, therefore, expect prices to remain stable for now."
Hagranop has business interests in Belguim, Germany, Poland, and Spain. They buy and sell throughout Europe. Arjan says, "It is also very dry in those countries. The state of first-grade carrots is the same in Germany as in the Netherlands. There are no high yields anywhere. Up to now, however, there have also not been any total failures. No-one is planting large areas of carrots without making provision for irrigation. Cultivating carrots is expensive. It is too risky when there is no possibility of irrigation. The drought is causing lower yields and a positive mood. That is good."
It is not yet possible to make future predictions about storage carrots. "These carrots grow in August, September, and October. One cannot say too much yet about what influence the current drought will have. Let us hope that less will be produced across the board. In the end, that is best for everyone", Arjan concludes.
