Bad summer hits Europe’s pea and bean crop_18.07.2007

Freezers and canners of vegetables, represented by their trade organisation OEITFL, are feeling the impact of this year’s bad summer on the pea and bean crops – the two major vegetables for the processing industry in the main producer countries France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain, Hungary and Poland.

For peas, whilst part way through harvesting, yields have been most seriously affected and best current estimates vary from 65% to 80% of forecasts.

For beans, the cold wet weather of recent weeks accounted for very late sowing.

With about two thirds of the sowing completed, the remaining sowing now needs to be completed within the next 10 days – any later date bearing the risk of frost in September/October. Present forecasts expect 80-90% of what was planned - depending on the country and region.

This summer’s unfavourable weather has also made harvest conditions more difficult and increased technical costs for cleaning produce and machinery as a result of interrupted supply. These factors affect the planning of farmers and processors.

While the industry is most concerned about the quantities, this year’s produce is reported to be of average quality.

The climatic conditions drive up the price of raw material, further adding to the existing pressure on the raw material (both in terms of price and availability) due to the high cereal prices and competition from energy crops.

This additional price pressure will inevitably be reflected in the price evolution of the vegetable processing industry in the medium to long-term.