Dutch vegetable output is set to rebound, after high energy costs cut tomato production by about 90% this winter.
(Bloomberg) — Dutch vegetable output is set to rebound, after high energy costs cut tomato production by about 90% this winter.
Better weather, longer daylight hours and lower energy prices have allowed Dutch greenhouses to resume full operations before harvesting approaches next month, according to industry group Glastuinbouw Nederland. That should ease a deficit that’s emptied supermarket shelves across Europe.
The recovery “could cause a peak in supply in the coming weeks,” said Roger Abbenhuijs, a spokesperson for Glastuinbouw Nederland. “Whether that will affect pricing remains to be seen.”
Lower production from the Netherlands has combined with disruptions in other key suppliers like Spain and North Africa to leave shortages of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in parts of Europe in the past month. Soaring energy costs forced Dutch tomato growers who cultivate plants under lamps to switch off more than 90% of them this winter, denting production, the group said. That deepened a deficit that’s prompted British grocers to ration purchases.
The Netherlands is one of the world’s top food exporters, thanks to high-yielding glasshouses that span an area the size of Paris.
–With assistance from Megan Durisin.
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