News carrot manifestation
Green resources and moderate prices live in carrot sector
Crop protection products and new varieties took center stage at the National Carrot Manifestation in Lelystad last Wednesday. This, in combination with the moderate prices of carrots, led to discussion and question marks among carrot growers.
On the test field at WUR open crops, where boots were not an unnecessary luxury, various companies showed their new varieties and pesticides. In addition, important issues were discussed, such as the future of cultivation and what the carrot grower can expect in the coming years.
Green resources
The use of crop protection products is coming under increasing pressure and this was clearly noticeable in the trial fields. Green resources must provide a solution and we are fully committed to this. What also became clear is that these green resources cannot directly replace chemistry. New challenges await in the coming years. "An example of this is the carrot psyllium, which we were completely unfamiliar with a few years ago," says Mark Ermers, crop advisor at Bayer Cropscience. "It is an insect that can cause considerable damage. We have to learn to recognize those pests again and look for solutions".
With the disappearance of various resources, the current package is becoming smaller and smaller. It also became clear on Wednesday afternoon that the (green) alternatives are often higher in costs and that no good alternative will be available for some challenges in cultivation in the near future. The carrot grower was pressed on the nose with those facts.
Peen grower keeps confidence
The fact that sales prices have also been disappointing in recent years makes carrot cultivation even more difficult. With the rising costs for, among other things, fertilizer and crop protection, a good harvest must be achieved: "We have had that this year. We have had few problems this season and I am not dissatisfied with what it says," reports a carrot grower. According to another grower, you shouldn't change strategy too quickly: "I've been growing carrots for a long time and years like this have been going on. Something like this always fluctuates and that goes in the right direction. So I keep growing carrots."
Jesse Torringa
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