Despite record-breaking harvests of plums and apples, Gemüsevertrieb Südbaden (OGS) in Efringen-Kirchen, Germany, is facing challenges. The uncertain economic situation and high energy costs are having a negative impact on sales. The plum harvest was an absolute record. The situation was less good for sweet cherries, the quality of which had suffered from the many rainy days. A total of 383 tons of asparagus was sold, a significant decline in volume compared to the previous year, reported Andreas Mutter. After Easter, there was also a slump in demand, and the price of asparagus fell. "When it comes to selling asparagus and strawberries, you can tell that people are tightening their belts and saving money," said Mutter.
Thanks to protective tunnels, the strawberry season got off to a good start regardless of the weather. The situation was different for strawberries grown outdoors in late spring. "There were almost continuous rain and many thunderstorms, 400 metric tons less than in the previous year were delivered, and there was no good harvest of strawberries in all of Germany due to the weather," explained Mutter. 1,701 metric tons of cherries worth 3.5 million euros were delivered to the OGS last year, 730 metric tons of which were sweet cherries. Customers are looking for large, plump, and sweet cherries, but there have been some problems in this regard. By contrast, the plum harvest in South Baden was exceptional. "We had an absolute record quantity of 4,500 metric tons worth almost EUR 3.3 million," said Mutter.
Visit the company at Fruit Logistica: Hall 20 | B-25
For more information:
OGS Obst- und Gemüsevertrieb Südbaden GmbH
Niederrotweil 80
79235 Vogtsburg
Tel: +49 (0) 7662 9300 0
Fax: +49 (0) 7662 9300 93
[email protected]
www.ogs-suedbaden.de