Vegetables are currently in short supply in Great Britain due to increased transport costs and bad weather in the growing regions. Therefore, many people fall back on a domestic alternative.
British vegetable and fruit producers are warning of a long crisis amid supply problems for some groceries. “Tomatoes, peppers and aubergines won’t be available in bulk until May, so it will take longer than a couple of weeks,” Lee Stiles of the Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA) told the BBC. It is too late for British producers to make up for the shortage. They should have planted earlier for that, Stiles said.
Britain imports around 95 percent of tomatoes in winter. However, according to the LVGA, it only receives a quarter of the products that were ordered in Spain or Morocco. The main reason is the extremely bad weather in the growing areas. Added to this are increased transport costs due to high energy prices.
That’s why producers would prefer to deliver to closer markets, the LVGA continues. Several retailers such as market leader Tesco have rationed the sale of some products such as tomatoes and cucumbers because of the delivery difficulties.
Agriculture Minister Therese Coffey announced on Thursday that the bottlenecks could be overcome in two to four weeks. Instead of tomatoes and lettuce, the British should appreciate local specialties, the conservative politician demanded and said: “A lot of people are currently eating beets.”
Source: Stern
