Vegetable farmers in Europe They are warning of food shortages due to the energy crisis, which is forcing many to suspend their operations.
Ο Emanuel Lefebvre produces thousands of metric tons every year antidies on his farm in the north France, but this year he will likely stop growing them because of the excessive energy costs required to freeze the bulbs immediately after harvest.
Across northern and western Europe, vegetable growers are considering suspending their operations due to the economic impact of the energy crisis in Europe, thereby further jeopardizing food supplies.
The rise in natural gas and electricity prices will have a negative impact on crops grown during the winter in heated greenhouses —such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers—and on those that require cold storage—such as apples, onions, and leeks.
Bulbs, in particular, require a great deal of energy to grow. After the bulbs are harvested in the fall, they are stored at sub-zero temperatures and then replanted in temperature-controlled containers to allow for year-round production.
«We're really wondering if we'll be able to harvest everything in the fields this winter,» Lefebvre told Reuters.
European farmers are warning of shortages. The expected decline in production and the rise in prices mean that Supermarkets are likely to turn to suppliers in warmer countries such as Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt.
As they say, natural gas is the biggest expense faced by greenhouse vegetable farmers. At the same time, two French farmers, while renewing their electricity contracts for 2023, say they were asked to pay amounts more than ten times higher than in 2021.
«Over the next few weeks, I'll be making my plans for the season, but I don't know what to do,» says the Benjamin Simon-De Vos, who grows cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries south of Paris.
«If things stay this way, there's no point in continuing for another year. It's not sustainable,» he adds.
Heading south
Farmers are not facing problems solely because of rising energy prices. The costs of fertilizers, packaging, and transportation of their products have also increased.
«Overall, we are facing an increase in production costs of approximately 30%,» half or two-thirds of which is attributable to energy, explains the Johannes Gross, Sales manager at the German consortium Reichenau-Gemüse, whose greenhouses cover approximately 600 stremmas.
«Some colleagues are considering leaving their greenhouses empty to keep costs as low as possible. No one knows what will happen next year,» he notes.
The greenhouse network Greenhouse Horticulture in the Netherlands It says that up to 40% of its 3,000 members are in dire financial straits.
Even in sunny countries such as Spain, fruit and vegetable growers are facing a 25% increase in fertilizer costs.
Ο Jack Ward, head of the British Growers' Association, says that fruit and vegetable production will inevitably shift to warmer climates.
«We will move production further and further south, toward Spain and to the Morocco and to parts of it Africa», Ward concludes.
