According to weather forecasts, temperatures are expected to reach 35 degrees and in some places even close to 40 degrees until the end of calendar week 27. This means that a heatwave has been officially declared for large parts of Germany. Similar to other areas of agriculture, the prolonged heat and drought are also causing concern for fruit and vegetable growers, they told FreshPlaza.de.
A glimpse into everyday life at the Hanover wholesale market: refrigerated vehicles and cold stores guarantee an uninterrupted cold chain.
Hanover wholesale market: 'Traders and resellers are well-prepared'
Traders at the local wholesale market in Hanover are well-prepared for hot days: Sensitive goods are stored in modern cold stores and transported exclusively in refrigerated vehicles. "Our traders have a professional infrastructure. The goods leave the wholesale market well refrigerated and reach the customer without any interruption in the cold chain," explains Jörn Böttcher, managing director of Großmarkt Hannover GmbH. Weekly market traders who sell their products directly to end consumers also rely on refrigerated transporters and sometimes store the goods directly in their refrigerated vehicles. "We leave it up to the retailers at the weekly markets we operate to decide for themselves when to close up shop if temperatures rise too high at midday." Summer is nothing new for retailers. Böttcher: "We experience a slight decline in sales every year at the start of the vacation season—this is seasonal and completely normal."
Modern cold storage facility at the Hanover wholesale market
At the Frischezentrum Frankfurt, too, the current heat is increasingly causing problems for traders. "Basically, we can hardly leave the goods standing in the sun; otherwise, they would burn. This mainly affects sensitive products such as lettuce, berries, and the like. This naturally makes everyday practice along the entire supply chain extremely difficult. As it is almost impossible to set up stalls with fresh produce, some weekly markets in the region are closing at noon. In this market segment in particular, goods that are not 100 percent perfect are simply unsaleable," reports Christopher Römer, sales assistant at wholesale market operator Josef Stapf GmbH.
Delivery vehicles at the wholesale market in Hanover
Hesse: Quality losses feared for beans and sweet corn
It's currently peak season at OGZ in Griesheim (Hesse): Strawberries are still being picked, while the bean and sweet corn harvest is also getting underway. "In some cases, we can only pick berries until 11 a.m. because it gets too hot outside for the harvest workers after that. In other years, when the heat persisted, we also picked in the evenings from 5 p.m., but that's not possible at the moment because it only cools down minimally in the evenings," reports Marcel Wefers from sales. Due to the weather, the sweet corn harvest is starting about a week earlier this year. "In principle, sweet corn copes quite well with heat. However, if it remains this hot, there is a risk that the corn kernels will burst at some point. With beans, on the other hand, the problem is that prolonged heat prevents flowering. Basically, prolonged daily temperatures well above 30 degrees are not good for any crop."
Bornheim: Some outdoor herbs produce concentrated quantities
The heatwave is also being felt in the German herb stronghold of Bornheim. So far, there have been no serious effects, says Artur Lammert, managing director of Dreesen Kräuter, when asked. "Currently, we have daytime temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius, and it is supposed to get even warmer towards the weekend. The biggest challenge we are currently facing is that certain outdoor crops, such as dill, are flowering too quickly. As a result, we sometimes have to harvest three sets at the same time, which means that the produce comes onto the market in concentrated quantities. This also presents us with major challenges in terms of marketing." A few weeks ago, there was hail and heavy rain in and around Bornheim. "We got off lightly there, too. However, the extreme weather is also making the issue of residues very challenging in some cases this year, especially for outdoor herbs."
The entire value chain is currently dealing with the consequences of the heat. Clockwise: the management of Josef Stapf GmbH, Artur Lammert (Dreesen Kräuter), Jörn Böttcher (Großmarkt Hannover GmbH), and Marcel Wefers (OGZ).
Bavaria: Record heat wave hits agriculture hard
There have already been several heat warnings in Bavaria during calendar week 27. However, fruit grower Josef Kraus from Gessertshausen in the Augsburg district has to go out into the fields; otherwise, the fruit will spoil. He and his harvest workers have no machines, so the strawberries have to be picked by hand. How is Kraus coping with the heat? "A hat, sunscreen, and lots and lots of fluids," the producer told our editorial team. Like him, many farmers in Bavaria are facing a sweaty week ahead. And since their working hours depend on the ripeness of the crops, they have little leeway to avoid the sun. "We start at 4:30 in the morning when the sun is just rising and try to finish by noon," says Kraus. "After that, it becomes unbearable."
For more information:
www.grossmarkt-hannover.de/
www.frische-zentrum-frankfurt.de/
https://ogz.de/
www.dreesen.de/