The persistent heat and drought are having a major impact on the fruit and vegetable harvest. Growers are doing all they can to combat the heat and drought stress affecting their plants, but inevitably there will be fewer and smaller fruits on the shop shelves, with a higher price tag.
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Higher prices, smaller produce & water shortages: heat takes toll on harvest
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“I was already out watering at half past three this morning – or rather, last night – to get ahead of the heat and the wind,” says endive grower Dirk Declercq, chair of the REO auction site in Roeselare, West Flanders.
Fruits and vegetables are suffering under the extreme temperatures, he explains. “The plants are experiencing heat stress and bolting more quickly. As a result, they are often no longer ready for harvest or the fruits weigh much less.”
Broccoli, cauliflower and leeks are just a few of the vegetables turning out smaller due to heat stress. Vegetables grown in the open air are particularly sensitive to the heat and drought.
We used to have to irrigate once or twice a week; now you’ll see us watering every day
Temperatures are soaring in greenhouses too. Tomatoes are ripening too quickly and therefore remain small. Strawberries aren’t growing as well, meaning they yield much less for growers.
Alongside the heat, the persistent drought is now taking its toll. Irrigation is still the only solution. Declercq: “We used to have to irrigate once or twice a week; now you’ll see us watering every day.”
As well as extremely early starts for growers, this also threatens to create water shortages. “Supplies, water storage and permits: things aren’t going our way,” says Declercq. “We do have buffer reservoirs, but they’re gradually running dry. The situation is simply dragging on for too long.”
We are really doing our utmost to supply as much as possible
Growers can only hope for a change in the weather. Until then, they’re making do with what they’ve got, even though the harvest is often significantly smaller than expected.
Less supply in shops also means higher prices for customers. “That’s the classic mechanism of supply and demand,” says Declercq. “It is inevitable that certain products will become more expensive.”
He adds: “I think many growers would rather sell a normal, large harvest at standard prices than harvest only half the crop at a higher price. We are really doing our utmost to supply as much as possible.”
