PARIS, France: Across northern and western Europe, vegetable producers are considering not planting crops because of the economic impact of Europe’s energy crisis, which threatens food security.
Crops grown throughout the winter in heated greenhouses, such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, will be affected by rising energy and gas prices, as will those stored in cold storage, such as apples and onions.
Endives are particularly energy-hungry, as their bulbs must be stored in sub-freezing temperatures and later replanted in temperature-controlled containers.
In northern France, Emmanuel Lefebvre produces thousands of tons of endive on his farm, but this year he said he might abandon the crop because of energy costs.
In an interview with Reuters, Lefebvre said: “We are really wondering if we will harvest what is in the fields this winter.”
European farmers are warning of shortages, and the expected fall in production and price rises could mean supermarkets could switch to buying more goods from warmer countries, such as Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt.
Rising gas prices are the main costs for vegetable farmers growing crops in greenhouses, but they have also been affected by rising costs of fertilizers, packaging and transport.
Johannes Gross, deputy head of sales at the German cooperative Reichenau-Gemse, said: “We are facing an overall increased production cost of around 30 percent,” according to Reuters.
“Some colleagues are thinking of leaving their greenhouses empty to keep costs as low as possible. Nobody knows what will happen next year,” he added.
According to trade group Greenhouse Glastuinbouw Nederland, up to 40 percent of its 3,000 members are suffering financially.
Even in sunny countries, such as Spain and Portugal, fruit and vegetable farmers face a 25 percent increase in fertilizer costs.
Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, said the production of fruit and vegetables would inevitably move to places with warmer climates.
“We will move production further and further south, down through Spain and into Morocco and parts of Africa,” he said, according to Reuters.
Source: sn.dk