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News from the NOS•yesterday, 22:33
Almost a third of greenhouse horticulture farms in the Netherlands can no longer pay their bills or have short-term problems. This was stated by the sector organization Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands. The cause of the problems are the high prices of gas and electricity.
“It is phase one of alarm”, says Jacco Vooijs West transmission. He is president of the Westland region of Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands. “If the government does not intervene now, there will no longer be a revenue model for growing plants, flowers, vegetables and fruit.”
The trade association has previously warned of the consequences of rising energy prices. For example, it was announced last week that plant grower Plantise, the largest plant grower in the Netherlands in terms of turnover, is partly due to the high energy prices of next April. closes its doors. About two hundred permanent employees and two hundred flexible workers at the greenhouse horticulture company then lose your job.
Perhaps less supply
A survey conducted by the trade association among members showed that three quarters of the respondents had adapted their cultivation due to payment problems.
As a result, it is possible that fewer Dutch vegetables, fruits, flowers and plants will arrive on the market in the coming period, the trade association reports. The supply may also decrease over time.
“For the winter, we will choose to cultivate the cold with crops that can. We will also decide to cultivate less or to extend the change of season,” explains Vooijs.
Cold cultivation
Cold cultivation is done in Boskoop, for example. High energy prices do not cause problems for greenhouse horticulture companies in the region, a spokesperson said. “Entrepreneurs here use gas to the fullest to keep the greenhouses free from frost. This cannot be compared to energy-intensive crops such as tomatoes and potted plants.”
According to the spokesperson, Boskoop entrepreneurs suffer from high inflation and the changing purchasing behavior of consumers
Orchid growers are the hardest hit
According to Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands, pot orchid growers are the hardest hit by high energy prices. A quarter of the production is now forced to stop.
“The orchids that are now being sold are about two years old. It is a plant that needs heat, but heating is no longer convenient due to the high gas bill,” says Vooijs. “If you pull the plug now, the plants that are now one year old won’t make it.”
Many of these growers also expect job losses. “When a company stops temporarily, it will want to keep permanent staff, but not temporary staff,” says Vooijs.
If the government does not intervene or does not provide support, 8% of respondents expect bankruptcy this year. Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands points out that neighboring countries are now meeting their entrepreneurs with “extra robust” compensation measures. “Given its position in Europe, the Netherlands cannot lag behind in this respect.”
