Growers do not receive a fair price for malting barley with the Skylark label. That is what brewing barley grower Arjo Kuiper from Buinen said recently at a chain meeting 'From farmer to beer' of Agrifirm Plant in Westerbork, writes LTO North.
Kuiper is annoyed that Heineken benefits from the good malting barley grown under Skylark, while the growers do not receive a fair price. "The extra effort should be rewarded." He calculated that 1.000 kilos of grain is good for 10.000 to 12.000 liters of beer. At 0,2 liters per whistle, it is therefore a minimum of 50.000 glasses of beer at 2 euros each. This is an amount of 100.000 euros. So with a yield of 6 tons of malting barley per hectare, 600.000 euros worth of beer.
At the moment, the price of malting barley is about 175 euros per ton. With 50.000 glasses of beer, that is an amount of only 0,3 cents per glass of beer, concludes Kuiper. 'Of the 600.000 euros worth of beer per hectare, we as growers are left with less than 600 euros per hectare, not 1 per mille of the total.'
The calculation was intended for Jan Kempers, who is involved in making the factories climate neutral at Heineken Netherlands. Wind turbines, solar panels, sustainable heat, more water transport, electrical transport and, in the long run, more sustainable glass production are also used. In addition, Heineken aims for more than 2020 percent ingredients from sustainable cultivation by 50. Last year this involved about 40 percent of all barley, more than 400.000 tons. In the Netherlands, the aim is to bring in 15.000 tons of malting barley from Veldleeuwerik growers this year.
According to Aart den Bakker, grain manager at Agrifirm Plant, the grain market is generally not good this season. 'The closing stock on the world wheat balance is growing, which is not positive for price developments. And the grain prices of wheat have a lot to do with those of barley, because most of it is feed grain.' Due to the relatively low yields in Europe, the EU wheat balance is on the tight side. The situation in the EU barley balance sheet is not so favourable. 'Because the export to China is much less, the ending stock is growing. The barley now goes as feed grain to camels in countries like Egypt. But that cannot absorb the export to China', says Den Bakker.
The price of 155 euros per tonne of malting barley around last year's harvest is low, according to Den Bakker. 'We also see that the difference with the price of wheat is high this year. At the moment the price difference is about 20 euros, while that is normally about 7 to 10 euros per tonis.' Incidentally, Agrifirm Plant's grain manager thinks that the current price level will have little influence on the malting barley acreage this year. 'Grain prices have fluctuated strongly in recent years, and next season there will be another chance. In addition, grain is a fixed value and position in the crop plan. But the growth of the sugar beet acreage will come at the expense of grain cultivation.'
With the upcoming capacity growth of Mouterij Holland Malt in the Eemshaven, the need for malting barley will increase to 500.000 tons on an annual basis. Bakker thinks that the malting barley for Holland Malt will be there. Possibly from the Netherlands and otherwise from abroad. 'The malt house is full. We must continue to participate, because grain prices will improve again. It is important for growers that they have good access to the malting barley chain via Agrifirm Plant.'
According to Jos Jennissen of Holland Malt, the need for malt is increasing due to a growing world population, so there are good prospects for malting barley. 'At the same time, there is more demand for specialty beer. As a result, the volume of the malt house in Lieshout has increased from 2.643 tons in 2010 to 16.407 tons last year.'
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