The iceberg lettuce is about to begin at the Dutch company Ursem-Zuurbier. "We should start today, which is a few days later than usual. The lettuce looks good, though they're all still a bit sparse," says Niels Zuurbier.
The grower is, however, confident about sales. "The market looks good. Spain is virtually empty, resulting in a clean market. Quite a lot of product is already pre-sold. In that sense, this season's good to go."
Niels Zuurbier (second from right) and his compatriots.
The acreage at Everest, the growers association to which Ursem-Zuurbier is affiliated, hardly changed last year. "We'll have plenty of challenges because of European regulations, but things are currently calmer," Niels explains.
Besides iceberg lettuce, the open-field vegetable company cultivates white, pointed, and flat cabbage. "White cabbage prices are picking up slightly. The large ones sell for €0.45/kg; the small ones are still somewhat more expensive. Because of the cold weather, there's not too much supply of other vegetables."
"The flat and pointed cabbage seasons ended earlier, and both went reasonably well, though the flat cabbage market remains a small, niche one," Niels concludes.
For more information:
Niels Zuurbier
Ursem – Zuurbier C.V.
6a Donkereweg
1704 DV, Heerhugowaard, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 654 741 523
Email: niels@ursemzuurbier.nl