Oxin Growers provides its members with a wide variety of hard and soft fruits, as well as greenhouse and outdoor vegetables. Within the outdoor vegetable range, broccoli and Brussels sprouts play the most significant roles at the cooperative. Commercial Director Ruud den Boer shares an update on the market situation for these products and discusses the challenges faced by the open field sector.
"The start of the broccoli season was quite challenging due to the wet spring. This created difficulties, particularly early in the season, and it hasn't turned out to be a high-volume year. Thankfully, this was offset by a good average price for broccoli this year. With growers facing rising costs for next season, this pricing is crucial," Ruud explains.
Ambitious members
"We've also seen reasonably good prices for Brussels sprouts. They faced similar challenges due to the wet conditions, but the season started well in terms of pricing. Currently, prices are at a somewhat lower level, which is normal for this time of year. However, the expectation is that the market will pick up again," he says. While there hasn't been much recruitment of new sprout growers for 2025, Oxin Growers has seen acreage expansion among its existing growers. "We have some ambitious members with growth plans for the coming years," Ruud adds.
This expansion, however, comes with its challenges, such as rising land rental costs. "Land prices are increasing by about 10%, which is significant. Additionally, other costs—such as for seeds, plant protection products, and propagation—are also rising by about 3%," Ruud notes. "Labour costs are also increasing significantly for outdoor vegetable growers. On top of that, it's incredibly difficult to find enough skilled workers, especially considering the demanding outdoor work and challenging wet conditions. Five years ago, one person might have been enough to maintain quality, but today you might need two or even three people to achieve the same results."
Product availability
An issue that doesn't get much attention is damage caused by wildlife. "It's not often talked about, but it does have a real impact on our growers. Additionally, the availability of outdoor vegetables is becoming more of a concern due to increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Fortunately, we've seen buyers show understanding toward our growers over the past year, but the challenges are only growing. Realistically, a product like broccoli will need a price increase of 5-7% next year just to cover the rising costs," Ruud explains.
"Our growers are fully committed to automation and making their operations more sustainable. I'm especially proud that our growers have started a regenerative agriculture project for both Brussels sprouts and broccoli. This requires a lot of innovation, attention, and investment, but it allows us to look to the future to prevent soil depletion and ensure food production for the long term," Ruud concludes.
For more information:
Oxin Growers
Tel: +31 (0)180 203 203
[email protected]
www.oxin-growers.nl