Price rises ahead as rain washes out greens

Kiwis will be forking out more for winter veggies after weeks of record-level rainfall wiped out crops.

It has been a chaotic few weeks for storm-battered New Zealand, as the Tasman Tempest and Cyclones Debbie and Cook drenched the country, causing widespread flooding and damage.

Crops were swamped in growing regions such as Pukekohe and Levin, so winter staples including broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and lettuce will be in short supply.

President of produce industry body United Fresh, Jerry Prendergast, said prices would rise as a result.

“You have to be prepared to be a little bit flexible. You’ll find you still get really good value, you’ll still be able to meet your budget requirements, you’ll still get five plus a day.” Prendergast said the wet weather had had a “doublewhammy” effect for growers including leaving crops waterlogged.

“When the soil is waterlogged the plant sort of says, ‘Actually, I’m just gonna sit here for a bit and wait until I get some oxygen around me to grow.’

“So, there are growers that have good crops in the ground but they aren’t getting much growth.”

On the other hand, newly planted crops were also washed away by the deluges.

“The poor grower then goes out and starts again and has another five or 10 days of preparation, then last week a few of the growers got [heavy rain] again.”

Prendergast promised that the shortage of leafy greens would be followed by “a good, plentiful supply”. “When produce is plentiful, those prices will come down.”

If you have green fingers, getting outdoors and planting your own vegetables could be just the solution.

“The weather probably has a bigger impact on the commercial side compared to the home gardener,” said Palmers Garden Centre category manager Ron Van Zuilen.

Van Zuilen said autumn is a good time to plant because the soil is still relatively warm.

“If you were keen enough to go out there, it’s probably quite good to plant in the rain.”

Van Zuilen recommends planting broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages as soon as the rain eases, and trees, hedges and shrubbery are good to go this weekend, rain or shine.