Germany: Fruit and vegetable markets in trouble

At the turn of the year the German Farmers Association (DBV) reports, that the fruit and vegetable markets are not looking to promising. The import ban from Russia is having a serious effect in Germany, especially among farmers with apple and cabbage cultivation.

Vegetables such as cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, celery and cabbage are not looking good. Large harvests and the Russian import ban have led to increased supply. However, the consumption is also slow. In particular, cabbage has a big supply because storage capacity, especially in Northern Germany, is not sufficient. The DBV announced in a press release that if the Russian embargo is still in place by mid-2015, the prospects are worrying.

The large crop of apples plus the Russian import ban has been blamed. Grower prices for apples have more than halved from around 60 cents per kilogram to 15 to 30 cents; at the moment the fruit for processing only costs 2 cents per kilo (instead of 6 cents). Market Experts hope that the market for Pippins will recover at the beginning of the year and that prices will get better.

Source: www.taspo.de