Major price changes in greenhouse horticulture

Added on 06 November 2023

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Major price changes in greenhouse horticulture

Photo Courtesy of WUR

In recent years, greenhouse horticulture has faced significant price increased in durable production assets, interest rates, energy and labour, amongst other factors. In Quantitative Information for Dutch Greenhouse Horticulture 2023, 126 different balance sheets have been prepared for 60 crops. For vegetables and cut flowers, the cost price per kg or per piece has been calculated for each four-week period. This includes production and the purchase of natural gas, electricity, CO2 and labour for each period. For potter- and container plants, these figures are calculated per 1000 plants.

For the sector as a whole, key performance indicators have also been collected. It turns out that, after a correction in the agricultural census, the total acreage is much larger than assumed in 2018. Furthermore, the scale of businesses has once again increased.

The 27^th edition of Quantitative Information for Dutch Greenhouse Horticulture has been released. This version includes data on the evolution of the acreage of various crops, benchmark prices for equipment, and a calculation of production costs for the most important crops. With this average cost calculation, growers have a valuable tool when selling their products.

As there is increasing demand about the environmental impact of cultivation, the carbon footprint has been calculated for each crop, broken down by different production factors. In the 2023 version, each balance sheet also provides an indication of annual evapotranspiration and the amount of natural gas required for sufficient CO₂ dosage in the summer.