The summer heat has left its mark on the German cabbage fields. The farmers and the family-owned company Hengstenberg are currently expecting crop losses of more than 35 percent. The situation not only affects Hengstenberg's growing areas, the company announced on Tuesday, but other areas in Germany and Europe as well. The situation is very tense in the whole cabbage commodity market.
Vegetable processing
The extremely hot summer is over now. But the heat has left its traces. Not only the yields of lettuce, potatoes and peas have turned out bad this year. The cabbage harvest will probably turn out to be the worst since ages. This was reported by vegetable processor Hengstenberg on Tuesday.
Actually, the cabbage needs cooler, damp weather for its growth. So now white and red cabbages grown in the open field are of poor quality as a consequence. A large part of the Hengstenberg contract farmers grow their cabbages in the vicinity of the two Hengstenberg plants in Fritzlar (Hessen) and Bad Friedrichshall (Baden-Württemberg). In both regions precipitation has been lacking for months. By irrigating the cabbage fields, individual farmers tried to compensate for the lack of rain. However, due to the heat and strong evaporation, this was not always effective.
Dramatic consequences
Many of the Hengstenberg farmers will not be able to deliver the quantities that were agreed contractually. "We are forecasting heavy losses for our Mildessa production program and dramatic consequences for the capacity utilization of our factories," says managing director Philipp Hengstenberg, who is responsible for the supply chain. The precarious situation affects not only Hengstenberg's growing areas, but other areas in Germany and Europe as well.
In the entire commodities market, the cabbage procurement situation is very tense. "The critical raw material situation has an impact on the pricing of our trading partners," says Andreas Reimer, CEO. Currently, the farmers and the company can only hope that the yields of late cabbage varieties will be slightly better. The prerequisite is that there will be enough rain in the autumn and that the cabbages are still willing to grow. If this is not the case, the situation will continue to worsen, according to the press release.
Source: www.rundschau.de
For more information:
HENGSTENBERG GMBH & CO. KG
Mettinger Straße 109
73728 Esslingen
Tel: (+49) 0711 / 39 29 - 0
Fax: (+49) 0711 / 39 29 - 12 30
E-Mail: info@hengstenberg.de
Web: www.hengstenberg.de