Three month drought hits yields of processed vegetables_26.05.2011

Crops for the EU’s vegetable processing industry will fall well below expectation due to unfavourable conditions in the first five months of this year:

1. An exceptionally long period of dry and hot weather in the north of Europe is creating problems for growing crops. Particularly for small seeded crops, such as carrots and onions, that experienced poor germination due to the dry soil conditions, and for those crops that are currently reaching maturity, such as spinach, peas, broad beans and cauliflower, that without moisture cannot achieve their potential yield. Also, in some areas there are serious problems with sowing the beans into dry soil. Conversely, the weather in the south of Europe has been very wet and cold, and this has reduced the yield and acreage of some crops such as spinach, peas, peppers, broccoli and onions.

Current estimates suggest a 20% reduction in yield in certain areas – and the situation will get worse if the weather conditions do not improve in the next couple of weeks.

2. High cereal prices have led to high vegetable contract prices with growers. When, provided with lucrative alternatives, farmers’ expectations have been raised and the processors had little option but to accept considerable price increases for their raw materials. In cases where agreements could not be reached, the vegetables have simply not been sown.

The present difficulties are set against the background of final production figures for 2010 from the principal producing countries of canned and frozen vegetables which show a 10% decrease in volume against the 2009 figures. The decline is only partly due to the unfavourable weather conditions experienced in 2010; it is believed that a reduction in the 2010 planted area is the more significant reason for the drop in volume.

Production canned vegetables 2010: 2.331.663 t demi-brut (x1000 1/1 of 850ml)
Production frozen vegetables 2010: 2.995.512 t

Contact:
Susanne Meyer
Phone : +32 2 740 29 68
Email : smeyer@agep.eu
www.profel-europe.eu