Brassica growers are expecting this season's crop to be down on the average after what has been a difficult few weeks for production.
The Brassica Growers Association says that growers of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and sprouts have all been finding the going tough as they struggle with complicated weather conditions.
The latest challenge has been hot, dry weather, which has left broccoli plants very small and led to two heads being used per pack to achieve the weight. However, for growers, that means yields are essentially halved and labour costs per pack doubled, as extra staff have to be employed to weigh and put two heads together in packs.
That has led to severe financial implications for the cost of growing broccoli this summer, according to BGA spokesman Jack Ward.
“The2018seasonhas been one of the most challenging in recent years,' he said. 'A combination of extreme cold at the start of the spring, followed by prolonged drought and periods of intense heat have put crops under significant pressure.Pest attacks on crops have further exacerbated the difficulties which growers have had to overcome.'
As if that is not enough, hot weather has driven consumer demand down and sales have slid by as much as 30 per cent. 'As a result, the crop has been left in the field and this has also had an adverse financial impact. It’s a ‘perfect storm’, affecting growing conditions and demand. Growershave incurred substantial additional costs which they will need to recover through higher prices to ensure growers can continue to invest in this important sector,” said Ward.
The planting of crops for harvesting at Christmas and into 2019 is well underway, the BGA added, but lack of moisture is a major concern for young and vulnerable seedlings. The recent sporadic rainfall has helped, and but while the BGA declined to make precise predctions it said it expects future volumes to be down compared with the five-year average.
No comments yet