The case in summary All over the country, plums end up in the bin due to overproduction and lack of demand. At the fruit warehouse in Innvik in Nordfjord, they are in danger of having to throw away 72,000 kilos of plums, worth NOK 3 million. At one of the largest fruit packing houses in the Eastern Norway, Fellespakkeriet in Lier, there are 90 tonnes of plums in stock. Plum farmer Reme believes that lack of will to sell the plums and imports of plums are to blame for the situation. Samvirket Gartnerhallen says it is about high plum yields and low demand. Fruit supplier Bama says that they have ordered as many plums as normal and have sold over 800 tonnes out of a normal crop of 1,000 tonnes this year. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It’s almost so I can’t bear to go in here. You just get depressed. Plum farmer Eyvind Reme looks at the full crates at the fruit warehouse in Innvik in Nordfjord. As much as 72,000 kilos of plums could end up in the bin if they are not sold during the week. This corresponds to approximately NOK 3 million. – The problem is that we don’t get orders. And what we have here now is starting to get bad. It is urgent to get it out, says Reme. Due to the whole country Some of the plums in Innvik have all been in stock for 11 days. – 40 per cent of what is here now unfortunately has to go straight into the waste container, says daily manager of Innvik fruit storage, Anita Roset. And it is not just in Nordfjord that they risk throwing away tons of plums. At one of the largest fruit packing plants in the East, Fellespakkeriet in Lier, they have over 90 tonnes of plums standing. – We are in danger of throwing away large volumes, says daily manager Stig Mellerud. In total, there are around 260 tonnes of plums in storage around Norway, according to Leif Øie in the Green Producers’ Cooperation Council. – In addition, a lot depends on the tree, he says. A stone’s throw from the fruit warehouse in Innvik, Reme’s plum tree stands. All the plums hanging there are a reminder of the big financial losses he could face. Reme can usually pick 30–40 tonnes from the trees in his field. Photo: Ingeborg Slinde Grindheim / news If he doesn’t sell any more now, he estimates that he will lose around NOK 900,000. If he sells a little more, it is at best a loss of up to NOK 700,000. – This is very serious. I have had around 20 pickers to whom I have to pay wages for goods that I cannot sell. – Too high yields Simply explained: If you are a plum farmer in Norway and want to sell plums in grocery stores, you have a contract with either Gartnerhallen or Nordgrønt. They are the link between the producer and fruit suppliers. Gartnerhallen supplies to Bama, which in turn has two different companies: Bama Dagligvare which supplies to Norgesgruppen, and BaRe which supplies to Rema 1000. Nordgrønt supplies to Coop. Gartnerhallen is a cooperative owned by the farmers themselves. Together with the suppliers, they create production plans that must be adapted to the production wishes of the farmers and demand in the market. In Innvik, 72,000 kilos of plums could end up in the bin if they are not sold during the week. Photo: Ingeborg Slinde Grindheim / news Gunn Jorunn Sørum, organizational manager at Gartnerhallen, says their goal is to look after the farmers’ interests. – We will do everything we can to sell as much as possible of what is in autumn. She says this year’s plum harvests are high, and that is why the farmers now risk burning inside with tons of plums. Not because they missed the production plans. “Unfortunately, there is no direct correlation between how much the harvest level is and how many plums consumers are asking for,” she says. This year, the forecast for plums was 1,700 tonnes. As of 1 September, 1,169 tonnes have been delivered, according to the Green Producers’ Cooperative Council. Anita Roset in Innvik says it has been a planned good plum season. – This was planted out following encouragement from Gartnerhallen. Now the plums are here, so it’s about getting them out, she says. – They cannot ask us to plant so much if it is not in line with the market. This is answered by Gartnerhallen Gunn Jorunn Sørum, organizational manager at Gartnerhallen – Gartnerhallen makes production plans that balance the production wishes of the producers with the expected market needs from our customers. So far this year, we have taken out well above the volume that was in the production plan for Innvik. Unlike the rest of agriculture, there is no acceptance obligation for fruit and vegetables. We are therefore completely dependent on BAMA and their customers doing everything they can to sell as much as possible, and not least we are dependent on a consumer in the last stage who wants to buy the good Norwegian products. Gartnerhallen is owned by and works for the farmers, and we work closely with our customers to help ensure that as much as possible is sold – including the volume that goes beyond the plan that has been drawn up. – 40 per cent of what is here now unfortunately has to go straight into the waste container, says daily manager of Innvik fruit storage, Anita Roset. Photo: Ingeborg Slinde Grindheim / news Plommeimport Reme doesn’t think it’s a matter of Norwegians asking for smaller plums, but that it’s about the will to sell the plums. In addition, plum imports are partly to blame. At the same time as the Norwegian plums are piling up, in June and July this year we imported a total of 257 tonnes of plums from abroad, figures from Statistics Norway show. Almost the same quantity as is in stock around the country. There is duty on plums in the period 21 August to 10 October. It is NOK 5.44 per kilo. – If you go to the shop now, you will find Spanish plums. It’s absolutely horrible. And they are more expensive than the Norwegian ones, claims Reme. The Norwegian plum season is at its peak in August and September. Point to demand – We understand that producers want to sell everything that is produced, but in seasons of overproduction we are dependent on increased demand, writes Pia Guldbrandsen, director of communications at Bama, in an email. She states that they have ordered as many plums as normal. So far this year, Bama has sold more than 800 tonnes out of a normal crop of 1,000 tonnes. – We expect to reach last year’s sales figure before the season is over. Then we sold 980 tonnes. Sørum in Gartnerhallen says they are trying to influence consumers to buy good Norwegian plums when they are in season, for example through campaigns. – But in the end, it is the consumer who decides which goods end up in the shopping basket. Published 04/09/2024, at 22.11
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Plum farmers risk throwing away tons of plums – news Vestland
