Currently, many crops are facing significant supply issues due to water damage, including spinach. "We're at a standstill and can't harvest," says Corne Broeren from Breda, who cultivates about 60 hectares of spinach annually. "The majority of the fields are flooded, and the cold weather is also preventing growth."
This issue, according to the spinach grower, is causing additional delays. "We've experienced heavy rain or hailstorms before, but usually, we could get back to work relatively quickly. Now, we haven't been able to harvest since last Tuesday. We're in the transition from spring to summer varieties. Normally, at this time of year, we should be able to cultivate spinach within thirty days, but now the spinach has been on the field for a week longer."
"We had to plow some of the spinach under. It just got too much water," the grower shares, who informed his customers last week that he couldn't deliver. "My customers were understanding. They see what's happening across the Netherlands. There's hardly any product available, and I hear very little about imported goods, too. It's just too cold and wet."
Grower Jacob Broersen of Mts. Broersen from Lutjebroek is facing the same conditions. "So far, we've been able to deliver reasonably well, but come Tuesday, we won't have anything. Hopefully, we can slowly get back to work on Wednesday and Thursday. We've suffered damage before, but this time it's been problematic from the first harvest. Dry weather was forecasted for this week, but today we've already had 30 mm of rain."
Yet, the spinach grower from North Holland chooses to look on the bright side. "Sometimes things go against us, but fortunately, we often catch a break. Our cycle is short, as spinach cultivation takes just four weeks. We always get another chance. That's different from fruit cultivation; if a hailstorm hits your orchard, you're marked for the year. "
Frozen vegetable processor Ardo is holding its breath, hoping for a productive summer and a dry autumn. "But for spinach, it's already clear there will be shortages, and it seems peas will be in the same boat," says Jan Hanssens at VILT
Supermarket Plus recognizes the problems. And for Albert Heijn, they are not unfamiliar: "It varies by region for the growers, but nationally, it means that the supply of spinach on the shelves is not at 100 percent," says a spokesperson for the supermarket to AD A spokesperson for Jumbo: "Unfortunately, we also have to disappoint our spinach customers. At the moment, we have virtually no spinach available. I cannot yet say when we will have enough spinach available again."