Rhubarb production in the UK is now in full swing, but it is proving to be a tough season, due to the extreme weather conditions of last year.
"Along with our usual multiples orders, we are also harvesting for bulk orders at the moment," says Janet Oldroyd Hume from E Oldroyd & Sons. "It has been a very unusual year and we are expecting the rhubarb to die down early. Abnormally high temperatures in February brought the crop on early which triggers flowering rather than crop production, coupled with this the roots themselves were seriously affected by last Summer’s hot dry weather, they do now not have the usual expected vigour to give good outdoor yields."
Janet explains that some growers have also lost significant acreage, as the effects of the hot summer last year influence this year's production. "We have some fields that are lost to expected outdoor crop production, as the stems are too thin for retail specifications.
"We thought we would see the effects in our forced rhubarb production from January 2019 through to March but our yields were okay, and demand was high. It has already been a very dry year again and unless we see significant rainfall we must expect forced yields in 2020 to be worse as rhubarb needs cool wet weather to grow well."
Prices have been slightly higher according to Janet and there is a big demand for bulk rhubarb at the moment. "The growth in the bulk side of the business has been dramatic especially for the juice sector. Currently retail demand has been good, but as temperatures rise demand can switch over to summer fruits such as strawberries."
One of the biggest challenges Janet faces is getting enough labour to pick the rhubarb. "People just don't want to come to the UK for work anymore; they interpret Brexit as meaning the British population don't want them here anymore. The value of the pound is not helping either, despite a wage increase they earn less comparatively with last year, so for us the picking rate will increase dramatically."
The UK strawberry season is coming into full swing and the demand on the available labour will just increase.
For more information:
Janet Oldroyd Hume
E Oldroyd & Sons
Tel: +44 113 282 2245
Email: janet@eoldroyd.co.uk
www.yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk