Variable weather conditions in recent years have hindered the success of brassicas in the UK. Growers have had to contend with strong competition from their European counterparts and with the strength of the pound it has not been easy for those in the industry to make their mark. Although some of these factors are still having an effect in the market there is still plenty of room for optimism for the coming year and momentum is building slowly but surely.

Cornwall has seen the first of this year?s crop and if the rest of the UK has similar success to the southern growers then this buoyancy could spread across the country like wild fire. Greville Richards of Southern English Farms is extremely happy with the Cornish crop and is clearly delighted with results so far. ?We are one of the few companies in the area who do summer brassicas. We tend to concentrate on green cabbage, Savoy, pointed and cauliflower, and we?re extremely pleased with the quality we have seen. We had very favourable conditions when planting this season and the crop returns have been excellent. Cornwall has a vital role to play at the start of the season and we want to try and get our crop ready earlier next year,? he says.

Howard Ratcliffe an agronomist for W Bailey also believes that the conditions could lead to a good crop. ?In early spring we experienced very dry weather but since then the weather conditions have picked up. It?s looking good for our cabbages which we began harvesting last week. And next week we will begin harvesting our purple sprouting broccoli and the signs are good,? he comments.

Grahame Ball, marketing director at Univeg, adds to this optimism with boundless enthusiasm. ?Our summer season began in early June and we have got off to a flying start. Normally, our early season begins quietly and hesitantly but the quality has been very high and I can safely say it is the best start we?ve had to a season for many years. The weather has been a perfect combination of sunshine and showers which has yielded perfect results for us,? he says.

However, Nigel Clare, sales and marketing director at Marshall?s, is remaining a little more cautious. ?I think it is quite difficult to predict how the season will turn out at the moment. Acreages would suggest that volume will be adequate for supply as long as we don?t have an extensive drought scenario. The crop establishment could not have been better this year and growing conditions are excellent at this point in time,? he adds. With the unsettled nature of the UK weather you would have to hope that a drought would be unlikely.

As ever though, there are still concerns within the industry as Clare explains: ?The main issue in the market at present is the strength of the pound in relation to the euro. This is a large part of our market so currency can have an effect.?

Ball believes there is also the difficulty of getting value back to the grower. ?Our products are relatively undervalued, prices are largely commodity led and I doubt the prices will excite the growers this year,? he says.

However, Richards believes that Cornwall is in a fortunate position regarding pricing. He explains: ?Prices have been very good for Cornwall as the crop is ready a month earlier than Lincolnshire. I can imagine it?s not as easy for new season crops in Lincolnshire as a lot of other crops become available at the same time.?

There have been a number of developments within the market that allow summer brassicas to have found themselves in such a strong position. Ratcliffe explains: ?Recent years have seen us working to increase our season length and this is the first year we have significantly increased our summer production in an effort to improve the volumes. It appears that it will pay dividends.?

Ball believes that there have been marked improvements due to the efforts of supermarkets. ?We supply both Sainsbury?s and Waitrose and they are both committed to fresh produce. This year has been even better, Sainsbury?s has really set out its stall with its ?first for fresh? programme. It?s a very positive sign to the industry and is vital to the growers co-operative,? he says.

Meanwhile, Richards admits that in Cornwall they are looking to bring the start of the season forward. ?We will be adopting new planting techniques for next season to begin early planting. This year our season began at the end of April and we hit volumes at the end of May. Next year we want to begin the season around April 10, this will give us a two-month supply base that would cut the Spanish market.?

Richards refutes the claim that this would be foolish as they have been lucky with the weather this year. He adds: ?We lay polythene on the ground round October time to keep the ground dry and we don?t lift this until February ? so we?re well prepared for unsettled weather.?

Seed companies are also busily working to ensure that the optimum quality of summer brassica varieties is available to growers. Stuart Cox technical manager for Sakata UK believes that 2003 saw an outstanding new variety introduced. Currently un-named ? cauliflower CF00034 has been bred in Lincolnshire to exceed current supermarket and freezing specifications. Cox says: ?We paid particular attention to the presentation. The erect leaf habit makes harvesting, bagging and packing easier with reduced damage from splayed type leaves found on many current varieties. Also, curd density and weight are class leading with high yield potential for freezing markets. This variety is under grower evaluations this season with commercial quantities expected for 2004 spring sowings.?

Nickerson-Zwaan has also noticed the increased success of summer brassicas. Nick Bolton says: Sales of the pointed cabbage have gone through the roof. It?s shape makes preparation very easy and it is available as a fresh UK product from late May until late October.? Looking to the future Bolton explains that N-Z has been working on a range of brassicas for the production of ?mini vegetables?. ?In recent trials two varieties performed very well, the first is Patron, a green cabbage which looks a bit like a tennis ball ? ideal with Wimbledon fortnight just around the corner. The other variety is Zircon ? a very quick growing savoy cabbage, which has a mild taste and is ideal in a stir fry recipe,? he says.

Another effort that Sakata has been busy working on is a broccoli named Green Magic. ?It is becoming a fast maturing variety and produces neatly proportioned heads with a deep smooth dome,? Cox explains.

And growers are keen on the breadth of choice available. Ball agrees this is essential to Univeg. He says: ?Variety is the key to maintaining success ? It is the customers who dictate choice. A few years ago we took the decision to import sprouts and at the time I thought we were mad, but we?re increasing the numbers year-on-year.?

Also working hard is IMA Cooling Systems, a supplier of equipment to the sector. Director John Dye says: ?Our high humidity coolers are used by many companies in the industry. Our techniques allow maximum shelf-life, which give producers flexibility of supply with varying harvesting/purchasing opportunities.? However, IMA has been working on some new cooling facilities. ?Our latest development is the use of ultra violet treated water for the high humidity coolers which allows crops to absorb moisture after entering chilled storage,? he says. These developments are important to the continued growth of the business.

One growing area of importance in the industry is the role of IT solutions. Rubicon Computer Systems has been busy working in partnership with its customers to address the increasing demands on growers and pre-packers in the brassicas sector. Managing director Malcolm Sleet says: ?The requirements for a diverse and innovative product range has added levels of complexity throughout a supplier?s operation. Our systems are involved in the monitoring of all activities from field right the way through to despatch. With product being supplied in so many different forms, IT solutions are also vital in monitoring handling and production costs.?

So with a strong infrastructure in place where do growers foresee the biggest challenges and where do they see their future successes lie?

Richards outlines where he sees the future for Cornish brassicas. ?We have embarked on discussions with local depots to provide local produce ? this would be good to raise the profile of the area,? he says.

Ball believes that brassicas are unpredictable. ?Spring green cabbage looked dead and buried a few years ago but with the emerging popularity of stir-frys to add colour to a dish it has undergone somewhat of a renaissance, so it shows you can?t afford to write off certain brassicas,? he comments.

Ratcliffe maintains that the market is now looking very buoyant. He says: ?Sales of pointed cabbage are increasing year-on-year, as is the demand for pak choi cabbage.?

But he does issue a future warning, adding: ?The only threat there is comes from a wider selection of products, and a wider range of exotic vegetables.

?Traditional vegetables will always have a place and demand tends to go through cycles, it is vital we give the consumer what they want.? And with high hope of a good year with good weather conditions, the season for brassicas looks a busy one.