For the first time in decades, no cucumbers are grown and harvested in the fields around the Vogtei this year. The Hainich fruit and vegetable company is one of the last large Thuringian enterprises to say goodbye to cucumber cultivation - for economic reasons. It is no longer economically viable, above all because of further increases in the minimum wage, says Marcus Lange, CEO of the Tupag Group, to which Hainich Obst und Gemüse belongs.
"The cucumber is an extremely personnel-intensive culture," Lange told the Thüringer Allgemeine. Up to 300 harvest workers were employed at the same time between the end of June and September, working in the cucumber harvest. These workers -often Eastern Europeans- harvested the plants several times a season, sorting the cucumbers by hand, according to the desired sizes. Also, the poorer climatic conditions compared to the much larger German regions in the Spreewald and in Lower Bavaria, making for lower yields, are more reasons why cultivation is currently not worthwhile, says Lange.
For more information:HAINICH Konserven GmbH
Langulaer Weg 2
99986 Vogtei
OT Niederdorla
Tel: 0 36 01/ 75 24 0
Fax: 0 36 01/ 75 24 13
Mail: kontakt@hainichkonserven.de
Internet: www.hainichkonserven.de