The biggest challenge for British tomato growers is the increasing cost of energy. Some growers experienced a hundred percent increase in the price of gas over the last two years. Nevertheless most growers remain optimistic about the future of the tomato market. Growers more often install a WKK-installation and there are also more developments in the area of generating energy from GFT-waste by means of fermentation processes.

 

The cost of the development and installation of these new techniques are high, however, as a result of which the smaller tomato growers are forced to stop. They cannot afford the cost of investment in the new technical developments. Much has been done in the United Kingdom during the last few years to limit the use of crop

protection products to a minimum. Many tomato crops are even grown without crop protection products.

The future of the British tomato market is in the hands of the growers with the most modern hothouses, who are in a position to realise an optimum production in an energy efficient way.

Source: Seeds & Services Tomaat, Rijk Zwaan