Retail demand and home consumption have increased over the last week as schools return and households return to routines following the summer break. Any remaining old season Rooster crop is in high demand and extremely scarce. This in turn has created an excellent market for new season crop which is slowly becoming more available. Yields to date reported to be highly variable. The massively increased growing costs are being recognised by most stakeholders in the supply chain, but not all.
Across Europe, steady rainfall has provided ideal growing conditions across Northern France, Belgium, Northern Germany and Holland. In contrast, in central France, 30 to 40mm of irrigation is being used so that crops can be lifted.
In Scotland, early maincrop whites have cleared well to the extent that demand is now “ahead of the crop”. In the U.K. in terms on M. Piper quality issues including wet rots and pink rot have been seen again as growers open up fields and lift headlands. Skin set is very slow which could restrict availability on samples which are intended for export.
