Demand for sweetcorn can be called good this close to Christmas. “After a good Moroccan season, Senegalese sweetcorn is now being supplied from the cultivation area in the Saint-Louis region in the north of Senegal. Corn from the Dakar region is not expected until mid-January,” says Giel Hermans from Hermans Suikermais from Kessel, the Netherlands, which can supply fresh sweetcorn year-round, thanks to its cultivation in multiple countries.
“Quality is good with its bright yellow cobs, and they taste wonderfully sweet. The leaves look bright green and fresh as well. This means they can be sold from market stalls with their leaves,” Hermans says. According to the cultivator, the corncobs are growing in popularity. “Dutch supermarkets are also going to start supplying them, the leafy corn can be bought from shops including Albert Heijn and Dirk van den Broek. The sales of convenience corn are also increasing, and that is at the expense of the traditional punnet.”
The UK remains the number one large-scale consumer of sweetcorn in terms of sales, according to Hermans. “Additionally, we see consumption increasing in countries such as France and Spain. They have always been producers of sweetcorn, but never for the local market. We profit from that with our African sweetcorn, which we export directly to these markets.”
The Dutch season was disappointing this year, the crop was largely spoiled by rain during of the wet summer. “The Dutch season is still very important to us, so that definitely left its mark on the year, although we are fortunately not completely dependent on Dutch corn. But these are circumstances you have to deal with when cultivating. Because of the increasing popularity of sweetcorn, we are facing the future full of confidence!”
For more information:
Giel Hermans
Hermans Suikermais
Donk 1a
5995 PL Kessel
Tel: +31 (0)77 46 29 325
Fax +31 (0)77 46 293 26
Mob: +31 (0)6 547 577 64
www.mielies.nl