As has occurred with other brassicas and leafy vegetables, this year’s cauliflower campaign has a smaller cultivated surface area, both for the fresh market and for industry. “The lack of water in some regions, the low sale prices from the previous campaign along with the increase in costs is affecting the reduction in surface area,” explains Jesús López, Brassica Sales Manager at Enza Zaden. “If we look at the cauliflower market in recent years, we can affirm that, regarding cultivated surface area, there has always been a rising trend, while this year it has begun to stabilise.”
The socio-economic situation is not one of the most favourable. However, at Enza Zaden they assert that cauliflower consumption continues to be stable. “The conventional market of white cauliflower continues to be predominant in Spain, and the ecological crop has risen slightly compared to last year.”
At Enza Zaden, they continue working on a complete portfolio of cauliflower to offer solutions for both the conventional and the ecological markets. Its commitment to NO CMS cauliflower materials stands out, an area where they are continuously introducing new developments.
During this campaign, the seed company has extended its portfolio with Moncayo (E40W716), aimed at the autumn segment. López affirms that it is giving some “excellent results in both the fresh and the industry sectors, due to its significant white colour and the firmness of the head.”
Another new development is Lhotse (E40W741), aimed at the late cycle for mid-winter, with which they are looking to “overlap cycles to bring success to all the production periods.”
“For this reason, our cauliflower varieties catalogue is continuously adapting to the ever-changing need for varieties for different periods and cultivation areas, seeking to find solutions with varieties for all the cycles,” he adds. To do this, they have cutting-edge varieties such as Altair, Maimon, Teleno, Borealis, Bielic, Moonshine or Twistique, with increasing sales every year. Additionally, they are offering new incorporations such as Alambique, Suntory, Serenity, Chione or Oceanique.
In purple cauliflower, the market also continues to be stable, and Enza Zaden forecasts a rise in market share with Apoteosi.
