Due to the high energy prices, many greenhouse horticulture companies will have a hard time. Gardener René Tielemans (50) from Boekel notices that it can become an expensive joke. “Energy prices are shockingly high,” he says as he walks through his cucumber greenhouses.
Sweat is on his head and not just because of the heat in the greenhouse. “It is putting pressure on the organization on all sides. We are not happy, the employees are not happy and the people in the supermarket are not happy,” he sighs.
The horticulturist points to a few young cucumber plants. “We planted these on Saturday,” he says. But normally it would be full of big, green cucumbers here. “We have secured part of our energy, thirty percent of that energy is for a fixed price. The rest don’t.” René explains that the greenhouses are therefore not fully planted until late. After all, when it is warmer outside, less heating is required. The high energy prices are resulting in empty greenhouses.
René mainly fears the long-term consequences: “I am afraid of the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.” He sees a sad future. “Gas prices for the next three years will be gigantic,” the horticulturist complains.
He notices this not only in his wallet, but also on the work floor: “We work with many temporary workers, who have temporarily had to look for work elsewhere.” But the prices in the supermarket are also rising. “Normally, energy makes up 10 percent of the cost of a cucumber, now that is more than half.”
According to the sector organization Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands, a solution is being worked on. “We expect that 40 percent of companies will run into problems. These high prices make many future plans impossible,” said a spokesperson. “One solution could be to support more companies with subsidies.”
“We’re going to survive,” René soothes as he walks out of his greenhouse. Giving up is certainly not an option according to the horticulturist. According to him, the greenhouse horticulture sector is still healthy. “It just shouldn’t take too long,” he concludes.