The Netherlands is experiencing a spinach shortage because of the heavy rainfall in the past weeks. Because the ground is so wet a lot of farmers couldn’t sow any seeds and couldn’t harvest crops either either. Too much rainwater in the ground is very bad for spinach and the situation is now being felt at the supermarket.
Supermarkets Jumbo and Albert Heijn have already said there is a shortage of fresh spinach, partly because of the rain. Some areas were reportedly more affected than others.
Normally, spinach farmers sow weekly. Spinach takes about 4 or 5 weeks to grow, so if you keep sowing you can keep reaping. Edwin Uijen from Uijen Tuinbouw B.V. told RTL Nieuws that they are slowly starting up again.
Uijen also says that what has been harvested in the past weeks does not look good, “for the spinach that’s still on the land now it’s done, the ground is too wet so the roots die off and then the crops die too.”
. It’s not only the spinach that’s suffering, but the potatoes are also not doing well, as corn, sugar beets, and spelt. This may mean fewer crops in supermarkets with food getting more expensive.
Judith van de Mortel of HAS Green Academy told RTL that they’re looking for ways to make crops more durable and to determine what fits the Dutch climate. She also thinks society needs to be more resourceful.“We have to hold onto water in drought and dispose of it in wet periods,” she said.
For spinach lovers, there’s still hope as Albert Heijn says they hope to have the normal amount in stores again by July. If you really crave spinach while the shelves are empty you can also always still get the frozen version.
