Growers struggle with rain and cold: Flowers, beets, and potatoes are especially damaged in the Netherlands

Sugar Beet

Fresh Common Potato

Vegetables

Netherlands

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Published Jan 12, 2024

Tridge summary

Arable farmers in the Netherlands are struggling with heavy rain and severe cold, which is impacting the sugar beet, potato, and flower bulb harvest. The excessive rain has caused planting issues for tulip growers, potentially affecting between 10 and 25 percent of the harvest. While the cold is not as much of a problem for tulips, it can cause damage to the still-in-the-ground potato and sugar beet harvest, potentially leading to rot and loss of crops.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

With a lot of rain first and then a few days of severe cold, many arable farmers are not having an easy time. The cold can be disastrous for those who still have sugar beets and potatoes in the ground, while the rain hinders flower bulb growers. "Tulip growers throughout the Netherlands are very concerned about the amount of rainwater just after planting," says the KAVB, the interest group for the flower bulb sector. "As a result, the bulbs could not ground properly and that makes them vulnerable." Normally bulb growers plant in the second half of October and in November. "But the tulip bulbs were now planted about six weeks later. That wouldn't be a problem if December had been a dry month. But it wasn't." The association expects that between 10 and 25 percent of the harvest could be affected by the excessive rain. The exact damage will only be clear in a few weeks. The cold is hardly a problem for the tulips. Sugar beets and potatoes are less resistant to cold That's different ...

Source: Nu