Extreme heat and prolonged drought cause dramatic drops in vegetable yields in Belgium and sugar beet harvests in Germany and France, while England and Wales recorded their driest July in two centuries.
The unbearable heat that has gripped much of Europe this summer is leaving an increasingly deep mark on agricultural crops. Growers across the continent are battling the effects of heat stress, water shortages, and diseases that threaten this year's harvest, which will inevitably be reflected in food prices for consumers.
Dirk Declercq, president of the REO auction house in Roeselare, West Flanders, and himself an endive grower, witnesses the challenges firsthand. "I was already out watering at half past three in the morning, or rather, last night, to get ahead of the heat and wind," Declercq told VRT News.
He explains that plants suffer from heat stress and bolt to seed more quickly. As a result, they are often no longer ready for harvest, or the produce is significantly lighter. Broccoli, cauliflower, and leeks are just some of the crops that are growing smaller due to the heat. Outdoor vegetables are particularly vulnerable, but conditions in greenhouses are no better, tomatoes ripen too quickly and remain small, while strawberries grow poorly and yield significantly less.
The problem is exacerbated by prolonged drought. Declercq notes that they used to irrigate once or twice a week, but now they water every day. "Water reserves, storage, and permits: things are not going our way. We have buffer tanks, but they are gradually emptying. The situation is simply dragging on too long," he warns.
The shortage of products on the market will directly impact consumers. "It's the classic supply-and-demand mechanism. It's inevitable that certain products will become more expensive," Declercq said. However, he adds that many growers would rather sell a normal, large harvest at standard prices than harvest half the crop at a higher price. "We are truly doing our utmost to supply as much as possible," he stated.
A similar drama is unfolding in Germany's sugar beet fields. Drought, high temperatures, and disease have ravaged crops, and the Southern German Sugar Beet Growers' Association warned on Monday that yields in the south of the country could be a third lower than last year. If estimates hold, this year's production would be the lowest since Germany's reunification in 1990.
The Bavarian association, which represents nearly 10,000 growers on about 100,000 hectares and supplies seven sugar factories, emphasizes that crops in France, Europe's largest sugar beet producer, have also underperformed due to extreme heat and drought. The effects of drought are visible even in areas that usually have sufficient water. Weakened plant resistance has allowed diseases to spread more easily, and the beets have become rubbery and contain significantly less sugar.
The UK is not spared either. The Met Office announced today that England and Wales recorded their driest July in 200 years of record-keeping. More than half of England and all of Wales are officially under drought conditions. The dry spell was accompanied by sweltering temperatures across much of the UK, following heatwaves recorded in May and June.
Wales tied its record for the highest average temperature in July, while England and the UK as a whole recorded their second-hottest July on record. These extreme weather conditions, which are simultaneously affecting key European agricultural regions, will almost certainly be reflected in rising vegetable and sugar prices in the coming months across Europe, and consequently in Croatia as well.
