Sour cucumbers - Fewer farms are growing pickling cucumbers
German farmers are planting fewer cucumbers in fields. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the cultivated area was approximately 7% smaller in the previous year compared to 2018. "The pickled cucumber business is facing many challenges," said Katja Behringer, spokesperson for the Swabian company Hengstenberg. According to her, energy costs and the increased minimum wage have been the main burdens for the farms.
Nationwide, both the cultivated area and the number of farms have shrunk, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture reported in response to an inquiry. In 2023, cucumbers were grown on approximately 1,880 hectares in the field. Although the area was larger than in 2022, it was still below the 2,020 hectares from 2018. A look at the number of farms shows: there were reportedly 315 farms growing cucumbers in the field in 2018, but this number had dropped to 250 farms in 2023.
Cucumber on the cucumber flyer
The Hengstenberg spokesperson explained that there is a lot of manual labor involved in producing a glass of cucumbers from German cultivation. Accordingly, the harvest helpers and harvest workers pick the cucumbers by hand while lying down on the wings of the vehicles, the so-called cucumber flyers.
In addition, extreme weather conditions, drought, and heat challenge the cucumber, said the spokesperson. "She likes it continuously moist and warm, but not too hot." At temperatures above 30 degrees, the cucumber plant stops growing. "Cucumbers grow at night, and only at temperatures above 15 degrees," explained the spokesperson. In warm nights, cucumbers can therefore grow up to three centimeters longer. Often, the cultivated areas must be intensively irrigated to create the right conditions.
Costs are rising in the double-digit range
"These points make farming expensive and unattractive," summarized Behringer. The cost increase is in the double-digit range. The competition for seasonal labor force also complicates the situation.
In the Spreewald region, known for its pickled cucumber products, there are cost pressures in agriculture as well as in processing companies, said Melanie Kossatz, managing director of the Spreewald Association. One reason for this is also the increase in the statutory minimum wage. The cultivated area in the Spreewald region has been stagnant for several years and is currently around 500 hectares.
Prices have risen
According to Agrarmarktinformationsgesellschaft, consumer prices for pickled cucumber cans have risen in recent years. In 2013, pickled cucumber cans cost an average of 1.30 euros per 720 milliliter can, according to the information. In 2019, this was reportedly 1.56 euros, and by 2023, the average price had risen to 2.11 euros. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the prices for pickled cucumber cans have risen more than the average food prices in the past four years.
- The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Germany reported a 7% decrease in the cultivated cucumber area in 2019 compared to 2018.
- In Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg, two prominent agricultural regions in Germany, the cultivated cucumber area was significantly lower in 2023 than it was in 2018.
- Katja Behringer, spokesperson for the Swabian company Hengstenberg, attributed the decreased cucumber cultivation to rising energy costs and minimum wage.
- The continued growth of cucumbers in warm night temperatures can result in hectares with intensive irrigation to maintain suitable conditions.
- According to Melanie Kossatz, managing director of the Spreewald Association, both agriculture and processing companies in the Spreewald region, known for its pickled cucumber products, face cost pressures due to increased minimum wage.
- The price of pickled cucumber cans in food and drink stores has risen by over 60% in the last ten years, as reported by Agrarmarktinformationsgesellschaft.
