The storage season for cabbage is really coming to an end now. "We can look back on a good season in which we were able to make reasonable to good prices," said Martin Bolhuis of intermediary Tuindersbelang from Warmenhuizen, which organises sales for some 60 cabbage growers. "The quality of the cabbage has been everything that it should be. The poor harvesting conditions have not had an excessive impact on storability."
Meanwhile, the first new cabbage is already off the land. "Because of the wet weather in spring, a lot of cabbage grew quite inconsistently'. Small and large can be found side by side in the field and there are not many plots, both with red and white cabbage, that stand uniformly," says Martin. "That means we sometimes have to adjust the standard sizes we always deliver, because in many cases the cabbage is smaller than we like to see. Due to the wet weather, many plants also went into the ground later than normal and, as a result, it is expected that some will not reach the normal weight."
"For the storage cabbage that is now in the field and should be growing in full, the same story applies. There is a lot of structural damage from last year and early this year due to the wet planting conditions. It remains to be seen whether the storage cabbage will recover through favourable growth, but so far it does not seem to be the case," Martin said. "Because of these conditions, prices are at a high level for the time of year. The price of white cabbage is - ex-harvester and including cask - at a level around 50 cents per kilo, for red cabbage at a level around 62 cents."
For more information:
Martin Bolhuis
Tuindersbelang
Dergmeerweg 3
1749 VA Warmenhuizen
Tel.: +31 (0)226 391 000
Email: [email protected]
www.tuindersbelang.nl