Carrot quality is a bit disappointing here and there

The sale of carrots may be a challenge this year. The quality of carrots in the Noordoostpolder, Flevopolder and Groningen is poor in some places. This is apparent from a call from Boerenbusiness.

"Various plots in the Noordoostpolder and Wieringermeerpolder are in poor condition. However, we also come across a lot of good carrots," says Robert Schilder, BeNeScan Sales Manager at Bejo Zaden.

In May, growing conditions were moderate. "As a result, the carrots are coarser than normal in some fields. If there are fewer plants per linear meter of back, the carrots have more room to grow and therefore automatically become coarser. In addition, we see that many other products such as red cabbage are also seen during the growing season. and white cabbage have grown much larger than in other years." 

Excessive rain
In the autumn, an extreme amount of precipitation fell, more than 300 millimeters in a relatively short period. As a result, the carrots have been in the water with the tips and carrots have developed. "Phytophthora is also a problem here and there. Due to the heavy rain, oxygen is pushed out of the soil and the plant gets a lack of it. This weakens the root and at that moment phytophthora strikes," explains Schilder.

Due to the wet conditions, the quality may be lower than expected. Schilder: "Therefore, one has to be critical of the reliability of carrots that are intended for longer storage. A cold store is not a hospital, or 'shit in is shit out'."

The moment there are many rotten points, phytophthora or mouse damage in a batch, it is almost no longer profitable to store them. "So stay critical and anticipate the quality of your product," adds Schilder.

Bart-Jan van Zandwijk is co-authored.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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