Fresh produce in Europe set to be more scarce as coronavirus strikes
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
Fresh produce in Europe set to be more scarce as coronavirus strikes

Coronavirus chronicle

Reuters
26 March, 2020, 03:25 pm
Last modified: 26 March, 2020, 03:35 pm

Related News

  • Zelenskiy promises reciprocal rights for Poles in Ukraine
  • Four countries pledge tenfold rise in EU offshore wind power capacity
  • Money for Ukraine tops G7 agenda; inflation, food a concern
  • Monkeypox cases are on rise in Europe and US, here is why
  • EU clarifies how companies can legally pay for Russian gas

Fresh produce in Europe set to be more scarce as coronavirus strikes

Stores that are already dealing with hoarding by customers may struggle to keep shelves stocked

Reuters
26 March, 2020, 03:25 pm
Last modified: 26 March, 2020, 03:35 pm
FILE PHOTO: Partially emptied shelves are pictured at a Rewe grocery store in Potsdam, Germany, March 20, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi
FILE PHOTO: Partially emptied shelves are pictured at a Rewe grocery store in Potsdam, Germany, March 20, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

Fresh fruit and vegetables will become increasingly scarce in Europe, suppliers warn, as the coronavirus pandemic hampers the global movement of produce and of the people needed to gather crops.

Governments are looking at ways to ease any shortage, including "green lanes" to allow fresh produce to move quickly across EU borders, recruiting a "shadow army" of harvesters and loosening travel rules for migrant workers.

While Europe's supermarkets say they are still getting most produce, supply pressures are building at source, including in Africa, a key provider of fresh goods, and within Europe.

Stores that are already dealing with hoarding by customers may struggle to keep shelves stocked.

In Kenya, a major supplier of green beans and peas to Europe, half of the workers in the sector have been sent home on mandatory leave because of the industry's inability to ship orders, even as demand from European retailers surge.

"Their (European) stocks are being depleted by the day," said Okisegere Ojepat, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya which groups over 200 growers and exporters.

Shipments from another key supplier, South Africa, are becoming more challenging with the country set to begin a 21-day lockdown this week.

"We were in reasonably good shape until earlier this week but now things are becoming very difficult," said Hans Muylaert-Gelein, Managing Director at Fruits Unlimited, a South Africa-based company that exports fruits and vegetables to the UK.

"More and more flights are being grounded so I expect there are going to be big disruptions."

Those planes that are flying are charging more. Operators have tripled the price per kilo of produce to $3 in the past two weeks, said Hosea Machuki, head of the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya representing 117 growers and exporters.

Western supply chains are buckling as problems ranging from a shortage of truck drivers to restrictions on seafarers hit the smooth flow of goods, freight logistics operators say.

Even longer-lasting produce like citrus fruit, which is normally transported by sea, could be stranded because of the shortage of containers linked to China's shutdown, said Muylaert-Gelein.

"Oranges and lemons, the old ambassadors of Vitamin C, are in high demand. Also roots, carrots, cabbages, anything that has health properties people have stocked up on," he told Reuters.

NOT ENOUGH WORKERS

A shortage of migrant workers also threatens to disrupt production in several top European suppliers including Spain, the biggest exporter of fruit and vegetables in the EU.

Some 16,000 Moroccan seasonal workers, mostly women, were expected to arrive in the Huelva region in Spain to pick strawberries and red fruits under an agreement between the two countries.

Less than half had made it by March 12, as Morocco closed its borders to passenger traffic, said Abdelmounaïm Madani, head of the Moroccan job promotion agency ANAPEC. The country's lockdown is due to last until April 20.

Philippe Binard, General Delegate of Freshfel Europe, which represents Europe's fresh produce industry, said the main problem was the lack of seasonal workers, especially for labor-intensive crops like strawberries and asparagus.

The challenges included moving workers from accommodation to farms while maintaining social distancing, he said.

"Before they were collected in a minivan of eight or nine people and then worked the day and then moved back. Now these collective transports are no longer possible."

Binard said supermarkets may move toward selling produce which could be more easily mechanized in the supply chain.

According to Muylaert-Gelein, Spain's need for migrant workers could affect a wide range of crops including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

"With the borders closed that is going to become very challenging and I think that will impact quite dramatically on prices and availability," he said.

Farmers and unions in Spain said the production, processing and export of fruit and vegetables was still going smoothly, although the state of emergency is restricting people's access to farms and packing areas.

Absentee rates were as high as 50% in recent days, said agricultural worker union representative Monica Vega.

SHADOW ARMY

In Germany, whose food sector relies on some 286,000 seasonal workers every year, the agriculture minister has talked with carrier Lufthansa to see if they could be flown in, if they can prove they are not infected.

Other ideas include temporarily easing the time limit for seasonal workers beyond the current 70 days.

France, where farmers forecast a shortage of around 200,000 laborers during the harvest period, has also appealed to newly laid-off workers to help pick fruit and vegetables.

Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume issued a rallying cry to what he called France's "shadow army".

Border restrictions introduced to stem the spread of the virus also disrupt the movement of produce within the EU, with traffic jams of up to 18 hours at some border points.

The European Commission has urged the 27 EU countries to adopt measures to ensure the free flow of freight along "green lanes" with border crossings lasting no more than 15 minutes.

Norbert Lins, chair of the agriculture committee of the European Parliament, said "green lanes" also had to apply to essential inputs such as feed, fertilisers and plant protection products.

He also called on the EU's executive and member states to find ways to allow some sort of cross-border movement for seasonal workers during the harvest season, even if travel restrictions are still in place.

European food retailers are keeping a close eye on the situation.

A spokesman for the Aldi Nord discount supermarket chain said that in Germany, fruit and vegetable supplies were secure and supply chains were functioning.

"Despite this we are watching the current developments and making a new assessment of the situation from day to day."

A spokeswoman for UK-based food retailer Tesco said she could not comment specifically on fruit and vegetables but in general there had been a surge in demand and there had been some empty shelves as a result.

"We would ask our customers to buy only what they need so that there is enough for everyone," she said in a statement.

Global Economy

Europe

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Corporates go cashless…tax cut on cards
    Corporates go cashless…tax cut on cards
  • Rising revenue collection a false dawn, economists say
    Rising revenue collection a false dawn, economists say
  • Why we must resist geoeconomic fragmentation—and how
    Why we must resist geoeconomic fragmentation—and how

MOST VIEWED

  • A medical worker takes a swab sample from a person for a nucleic acid test at a makeshift testing site, amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in Beijing, China May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
    Beijing urges millions to keep working from home amid Covid outbreak menace
  • Picture: PTI
    Saudi Arabia bans travel to India, 15 other countries over Covid outbreaks
  • A person in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks a dog at a resident community, as the second stage of a two-stage lockdown has been launched to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Shanghai, China April 3, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Shanghai reopens some public transport, still on high Covid alert
  • Workers in protective suit spray disinfectant at a community, during the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Dynamic zero-Covid approach: China's choice to safeguard lives, underpin growth
  • People wearing protective face masks walk on a street, following new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Shanghai, China August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Shanghai district to require all shops to shut, residents to stay home
  • Photo: Courtesy
    Covax calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap

Related News

  • Zelenskiy promises reciprocal rights for Poles in Ukraine
  • Four countries pledge tenfold rise in EU offshore wind power capacity
  • Money for Ukraine tops G7 agenda; inflation, food a concern
  • Monkeypox cases are on rise in Europe and US, here is why
  • EU clarifies how companies can legally pay for Russian gas

Features

Musk is denying the sexual harassment allegation that surfaced this week. Photo: Bloomberg

Elon Musk’s crazily banal week 

14h | Panorama
Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED: A touch of brilliance to your life

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED: A touch of brilliance to your life

17h | Brands
Keep your phone by your side with this armband

Keep your phone by your side with this armband

15h | Brands
Are Focallure gel masks worth the hype?

Are Focallure gel masks worth the hype?

16h | Brands

More Videos from TBS

Why are Duranta TV shows popular?

Why are Duranta TV shows popular?

9h | Videos
Donbas is hell, says Zelenskiy

Donbas is hell, says Zelenskiy

10h | Videos
Threat of Monkeypox on the horizon

Threat of Monkeypox on the horizon

11h | Videos
Mosque of Mughal period in Gazipur

Mosque of Mughal period in Gazipur

11h | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
A packet of US five-dollar bills is inspected at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Banking

Dollar hits Tk100 mark in open market

3
Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi
Bangladesh

Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi

4
PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire
Crime

PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire

5
BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies
Stocks

BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies

6
The reception is a volumetric box-shaped room that has two glass walls on both the front and back ends and the other two walls are adorned with interior plants, wood and aluminium screens. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Habitat

The United House: Living and working inside nature

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab