In spring, the price of snake cucumbers remained stable for a long time because, among other things, import volumes were significantly lower, according to André Busigel, managing director of Reinhard Busigel GbR in Albertshofen. "The Netherlands came onto the market later with larger quantities, while Spain had major problems due to the bad weather. Germany, in turn, started planting quite late." In addition, he said, supply on the market last summer was lower than this year. "However, the situation is not too bad overall. Competition is at a normal level." His company specializes in the greenhouse production of snake cucumbers.
André Busigel. Photo: Reinhard Busigel GbR
Slightly lower harvest
"The harvest at our farm this year was slightly lower than last year, partly due to the weather but also because of our adapted heating strategy. Otherwise, the crops were able to flourish healthily," says André Busigel. "The summer was good because the long periods of heat failed to materialize. In spring, it was again relatively dark and cold for a long time." Appropriate lighting, with which he could have compensated for missing hours of sunlight, is not available to him. "However, it is not only the heat but also the light that has been missing. But I also don't think lighting will be profitable in the near future when producing cucumbers."
The cucumbers are marketed through Franken-Gemüse eG, of which Busigel is also a member. "Franken-Gemüse mainly supplies food retailers in southern Germany. Other market segments also receive our cucumbers, but these portions are rather small. Since food retailers were open during the pandemic and we don't supply wholesalers, we were in a good position in terms of sales." Due to high prices for substrates and increased labor costs, he had to adjust his prices upward.
Sufficient seasonal staff, lack of skilled personnel
In contrast to other companies, Busigel was satisfied with the number of its employees." We have almost exclusively employees from Poland working for us. In addition, there are two vacation jobbers from Slovakia and another from Germany. What we lack, however, is skilled personnel. This is probably also related to the lack of interest in agricultural work."
Busigel notes that young people would have different ideas about the workplace than what is desired. "The working conditions are always different. So it can get very hot in the meantime. Especially since we work a six-day week. What works well for us is that we can stop working at 12 o'clock sharp on Saturdays. We have a good overview of the working time requirements thanks to our decades of experience, which allows us to schedule our staff precisely. That's why we have many employees who have been with us for six to ten years or who keep coming back."
End of raspberry production
Five years ago, Busigel was still growing raspberries in his greenhouse. "The qualities were great, and sales were also good. But, the labor costs for picking are no longer affordable. I also understand that retailers could no longer pay for the produce because the raspberry skins were too high-priced on the shelves. Therefore, two years ago, we had to stop production. That being said, the peak work periods for raspberries coincided with those for cucumbers. From mid-April to mid-June, there was too much unrest on the farm as a result. "There are no plans to expand acreage, given the current political uncertainty at both the federal and EU levels," Busigel said.
For more information:
André Busigel
Reinhard Busigel GbR
Am Rothberg 2
97320 Albertshofen
Tel.: +49 (0)1705629496
[email protected]
www.busigel.de