Greville Richards of Southern England Farms says there has been strong demand for cauliflowers and other brassicas so far this year, despite the challenges and “frustrations” of the season.
Speaking to Fresh Plaza, Greville commented; “Looking back at the last 12 months, from planting in February 2023 this has been the most difficult year that I have known. There has been a lot of rain although we didn’t see the flooding that growers in Scotland and Lincolnshire experienced and our over wintered crops will see us out until the end of May, but I have certainly seen it looking a lot better.
“Here in Cornwall, we can grow cauliflower 52 weeks of the year. There is a lot of demand for it and cauliflower from and Spain at the moment, but Spain also has its own problems such as water and labour. In the UK we saw a surge in inflation in 2022 and 2023, Spain is beginning to see it now.
“We have customers who are asking for more spring green cabbage in place of pointed cabbage. Everyone is looking at reducing their carbon footprint by importing less. We have seen our sales soar by 2/3 this year and we will expand production in 2024. I think more retailers will start to follow suit.”