Nakamura-Noen.co.,ltd
Quality control team

Thank you for usual cooperation and treatment.
We have visited and investigated Holland in the harvest season.from November 11 to 19.

1.Climate in Holland
As attached sheet “2007 climate graph of Holland”, spring was much warmer, after summer was normal temperature compare with usual year, although summer in last few years were hotter than normal temperature (average of several decades) due to tendency of global warming, so Dutch people felt this summer has been colder and less sun shine.
Autumn climate is normal cool. Average temperature went down under 15℃ from the beginning of September, and fields color changed into brown 2-3 weeks earlier.
Then early frost came in end of October and maturing goes fast.
During our visit in middle of November, early varieties like Acapulco, Yelloween, Star Gazer, etc were already harvested, which is approx 1 week earlier.

2.Average enlargement and long sprout.
Bulbs generally get hard, because autumn temperature went down smoothly. It’s expected that damage in the harvesting should be less, and accident of rotten scale and penicillium will be much less.
As under-mentioned “sprout checking sheet (Oriental)”, we can say this year’s sprout is enough developed, and compare to NL crop 06, it’s longer but little thinner impression.
Developed sprout tend to make more volume and buds counts, for example crop 06 was big and generally good buds counts.

Longi, Asiatic, LA, which had been already harvested, has also high sprout tendency. A variety in Longi caused summer sprout (sprouting before harvest), some Asiatic and LA varieties have few % sprouting. Basically we won’t accept those conditions bulbs.
Orientals should be no worry about sprouting, but be careful, if temperature goes up afterwards.
We would like you to understand as rough idea by test digging though, bulb enlargement is very normal Dutch growth. But we fond some good enlarge field by supplying more fertilizer, which bulbs seem lighter.
Generally double nose is more. It’s said because of high temperature in spring, or influence of heat summer in 2006.
Bulbs are firm, but we didn’t get impression of heaviness, maybe because of less sun shine. Sun shine from planting time April to October of this year was 1276 hours, which is 96.4% of 1323 hours of 2006. (July to October (specially influence to bulb growth) was 86.4% to last year). Average temperature is also lower than last year like under-mentioned table.
But climate in this year is not bad compare to normal year.

Let see the power content of this year by combination of bulb size and concentration, sprout development together. It looks less content than rarely powerful crop 06, but still it has normal level.

3. Bulb production in Holland

We visited bulb growers (contract growers) afresh, and could check harvesting and process, machinery for after digging, which specially has influence to quality in production.
Nowadays, growers who have property of bulb and license, and growers who grow bulbs on the contract compose bulb production in Holland. (It’s also explained in report in November 2005).
Productions increase East and South Holland from sandy limited North Holland, then cooperation with contract grower is necessary to organize in far place. Now harvesting and washing, rough grading etc is done by contract growers more.
We visited (contract) growers and checked machinery after harvesting, and found 2 points, which change in good way.

1. Aqua-grader: combination of washing and few roller grading machine which is high washing ability, removes rubbish (about 25% in total amount). To send only commercial size can reduce transportation cost, and also at receiving grower side, grading work can be efficient and cut the expensive labor cost.
   
   But cost of this machine is quite expensive, so I wonder if it pays like calculation.
   Washing by Aqua-grader is rather clean, so it helps washing at exporters.
2. Disinfection in the beginning : According to exporters opinion, approx one third of growers do disinfection between harvesting and grading. It’s very effective when temperature in harvesting is high and bulbs easily get damage as last year.

4.Bulb market

Bulb quotation in this year is sluggish due to increasement of acrage and some country refrain to purchase. Low price is offered which growers hardly accept, but some variety is even no demand. Situation is different depend on grower. Good famous growers have sold most part, on the other hand grower who has less demand variety can’t sell almost and worry to destroy field without harvesting. Sale of famous grower who didn’t accept low price and didn’t sell (hoping price go up again) is also difficult. Cost and work is increasing for the quality, but price doesn’t reflect it, so difficulty is same at every growers.
A very famous grower told us “ we stop the growing (own property) next year”. According to exporters explanation, many growers will decrease acrage a lot, and 10-15% growers won’t be able to continue. Price drop just before harvesting occurred also in past, but situation that many growers face crisis is maybe first time after 90s, which became recent bulb production tide. We get disappointed that some bulb dealer present extreme price, which ignore the quality and makes confusion in the market of this miserable mood.
So far, enlargement was expected normal to little good, but we get impression as just normal in this time. As harvest goes, atmosphere of overflow may fade out.

5.After visiting Holland

This time, we could see all the works in Holland side, such as bulb production in field, harvesting, grower side washing, disinfection, grading, exporter side quality checking, temperature treatment, understanding about quality, export washing, packing, logistics till export, and also transportation to port, loading container in the port. The word of “quality control” include so many factor and phase which is more than imagination. In case of our company, quality control team do research and works overall. In this time, all the main staff of team visit Holland, and each staff could check things he is involved, was very good experience.
We try hard to realize customers advise to stable quality and improvement.
At this moment, one of our staff stays in Holland till end of January, and will inform you another reports. Please looking forward for it !

 

aqua-grader	Yelloween	Willeke Alberti	Willeke Alberti
Casa Blanca	Casa Blanca	Casa Blanca	Crystal Blanca
Siberia	Siberia	Siberia	Sorbonne
Sorbonne	Tiber	Tiber	Robina
Robina	Robina	field