In the Bielefeld area, the harvest of open-air lettuce and cabbage is now in full swing. "We were able to harvest the first mini romaine and iceberg lettuce at the end of April, followed by cauliflower and broccoli at the end of May. Overall, however, the harvest got off to a rather slow start, which is due to the excess rainfall in spring. We were sometimes unable to plant some crops for up to three weeks. Across the entire open field portfolio, yields have also been somewhat lower than usual, although the quality has been largely satisfactory," summarises Sebastian Dörmann, Managing Director of Frische aus Westfalen Ltd.
Field-fresh cauliflower and broccoli.
The price levels in the field-fresh vegetable sector are relatively high and stable, Dörmann continues. "In view of the supply shortages in large parts of Germany and the Netherlands, demand remains high. In the cabbage sector in particular, the quantities available are sometimes insufficient to cover demand. Accordingly, it can be said that broccoli and cauliflower are currently in particularly high demand. We hope that stocks will become a little more regular in the coming weeks."
Iceberg lettuce and pointed cabbage.
Production in line with demand
The vegetable grower has also noticed that production is tending to be more in line with demand. "This is particularly noticeable in the current situation, where there are shortages and no surplus quantities are available to fill these gaps, as was the case ten years ago. This is clearly linked to the increased cultivation risks and higher production costs per hectare. Producing goods for the free market no longer makes sense for many farms these days."
Expansion of the portfolio
Frische aus Westfalen is mainly dedicated to the open-air cultivation and sale of lettuce (approx. 60 per cent) and cabbage (40 per cent). The marketing focus is on supplying the German food retail sector. "We have tended to expand our cultivation capacities for cabbage vegetables in recent years, as we are seeing increasing demand for broccoli and cauliflower. The two new crops this year are celery and pointed cabbage," concludes Dörmann.
Pointed cabbage is a new addition to the portfolio this year.
Pictures: Frische aus Westfalen GmbH
For more information:
Sebastian Dörmann
Frische aus Westfalen GmbH
Blackenfeld 104
D-33739 Bielefeld
Phone: +49 521 39948 50
[email protected]
www.frischeauswestfalen.de