News Arable
Dutch kidney beans suddenly yield much less
The Producers' Organization Protein Farmers is raising the alarm because growers will be paid a lot less for certain protein-rich crops this year. According to the organization, 24% less will be paid for Dutch kidney beans than in 2023. For brown beans and capuchins this is 17% and 13% less respectively. HAK, which processes the crops, says it is surprised by these percentages and that it stands for 'sufficient earning capacity for local growers'. The cannery manufacturer enters into discussions with the Protein Farmers.
HAK is the largest buyer of protein-rich crops grown in the Netherlands. According to the producer organization, growers have a kind of underdog position.
When asked, HAK responded that they were surprised by the stated price percentages of the Protein Farmers and that they did not recognize them. "We would therefore like to discuss the origin of these percentages with the protein farmers, the revenue model and the further joint development of local legume cultivation. Because we also see this as very important and promising at HAK."
The canning manufacturer indicates that it does not make direct agreements with growers. "Larger grower organizations and/or cooperatives do this. Growers receive a basic price and a fixed compensation for the extra efforts made for the On the Way to PlanetProof quality mark. On the Way to PlanetProof legume cultivation is challenging throughout the chain. Yields , but also quality can differ from year to year. In addition, we jointly work on the cultivation of exotic beans, such as kidney beans, white and black beans, a process in which we continue to learn every year," says HAK.
Decreased grain prices
According to the producers' organization Protein Farmers, the reason for the lower price is that global grain prices have fallen, but the organization calls that 'nonsense'. She believes that 'the fundamental contribution of these protein-rich crops to sustainability justifies that the price formation of these crops is not sucked into the slipstream of falling grain prices'. Anna van der Bijl of the organization says: "We really want to make a case for protein crops not to be seen as raw materials but as food. For example, kidney beans are already an end product in their own right."
According to Van der Bijl, significantly more protein-rich crops are being grown than last year. Last year was a very good growing year for brown beans. According to the organization, kidney beans are still a limited and experimental crop.
Footprint mapping
Protein farmers of the Netherlands have the ecological footprint of their crops mapped by CarbonCloud. The organization wants to show that emissions from, for example, the Dutch kidney bean are lower than from those from abroad. The growers hope that retailers will respond to this when making their shelves more sustainable. According to Van der Bijl, there should be 'its own price index'. "Not the prices on the world market and 50 cents on top in the Netherlands, but taking into account things such as fewer emissions, more biodiversity and a better soil structure. You should actually express those ecological benefits in the price."
A total of more than a hundred growers, who grow all kinds of protein-rich crops such as field beans and chickpeas, are members of the producer organization. According to them, they do not grow them for the subsidies and rules in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but they have intrinsic motivation because it has advantages for the construction plan and they want to add value. The organization indicates that it is very keen to collaborate within the chain and invites chain parties and governments to discuss changes in the agricultural system, integrality and the role of protein cultivation in food policy.
HAK talks to Protein Farmers
In any case, HAK will accept the offered hand after Boerenbusiness has asked for a response: "Based on our mission, we at HAK are very committed to local vegetable protein cultivation and see this as an important part of the future of our food and agriculture. This also inextricably includes the fact that we at HAK stand for sufficient earning capacity for local growers, because without an attractive revenue model there is no future for local agriculture. We are therefore happy to accept the invitation from the Protein Farmers to discuss this. We have now let them know."
Linda van Eekeres
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