Growers of celeriac end the old season with a loss. Despite the fact that the old harvest is processed for a long time, this has not ensured a profitable price level. Hopes are pinned on the upcoming harvest, but it is scarred by drought.
The Celeriac Growers Association of the Netherlands has been conducting trial harvesting since 1999 fixed group members, spread throughout the Netherlands. In mid-September it carried out the first trial harvest, carried out by cultivation consultancy Delphy. The result is the lowest in 19 years.
Lowest yield since measurement
The first figures show an average yield of 19 tons per hectare, which is almost 40% below the average for all years. The years 2006 and 2013 were also very dry, when the yield was 22 and 23 tons per hectare. Celeriac can grow considerably in the autumn months, up to 80 grams per week. The number of growing days determines the yield.
"Our experience is that the crops "We can still achieve a reasonable yield, but the loss will not be made up for," says Kees Vrolijk, chairman of the Celeriac Growers' Association of the Netherlands. "The tubers can continue to grow until Christmas, but they must also be able to be harvested properly. Frost is the biggest threat."
Fair price
Vrolijk, himself an arable farmer in West Brabant, (like many colleagues) ended the old season with very low prices; despite the fact that old harvest is still being loaded sparingly at the end of September. "The 2017 harvest averaged 65 tons per hectare. The highest ever in our test harvesting figures," says Vrolijk.
"However, the industry only entered the market very late. We notice that the trade is already working to temper price expectations for next season. With our trial harvest figures as a background, we believe that a fair price is a must. The tons are coming there simply isn't."
European image
The association has also created a market overview for cultivation in a European context. "In Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Germany, crops have all been severely affected by drought. Here too, yields are significantly lower," says Vrolijk.
"Export country Poland, where a lot of celeriac is also grown, is an unpredictable factor. The results are variable. The summer went reasonably well, but the dry spring was the problem. The areas where celeriac is grown for storage (in the middle and north of the country), are expected to have a reasonable harvest. It is extremely dry in the southwest." Elsewhere in Eastern Europe: Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania, yields are also low.
Celeriac is mainly irrigated in the spring (after planting) to help it take root. Irrigating during the summer months is unusual. "Growers can often irrigate, but have chosen to irrigate their potatoes and onions," says Vrolijk. "Cost-covering cultivation is a must this year."