"Gap in green bean production over the next week"

The extreme weather conditions have brought the recent green bean harvest forward considerably. Now a gap in production has arisen. "Usually, the plants need 70-72 days to grow. This past summer, we were able to start picking after 58 days of growth", says Paul Heemels, of Heemels Agro from Herkenbosch in the Dutch province of Limburg.

"The plants are now growing at the normal 70-day rate again. This means there are very few of these beans on the market at the moment. It is not only the case with us. It seems like this decline in production is happening to everyone at the same time. It will be very quiet in the coming week."

Archive photo: Heemels Agro's green beans

Whoever has green beans now, can ask a good price. Prices plodded along at the beginning of the season. Later, they reached an average level. The green beans are of good quality. Paul: "Since we watered the plants a lot, we were able to maintain good quality. The heat stress is over now, but we still have to irrigate full time. We have had very little rain here."

Heemels Agro lies close to the German border and most of their product is sold in that country. The season started very early this year, on 23 June. It, however, usually runs from July to mid-October. In September, this grower/trader starts with celeriac too. The weather has also influenced this product. "The celeriac has also suffered under the hot, dry weather. Last year, we had a great yield. This year there will be less volume, guaranteed. I expect it to be even less than the multi-year average", concludes Paul.

For more information
Heemels Agro
Paul Heemels
27 Muytertweg
6075 AM Herkenbosch
Tel: +31 (0) 475 531 809
heemagro@planet.nl
www.heemelsagro.nl