"The weather in 2024 was not optimal for Swiss vegetables – it was too wet and too cool," explains Markus Waber, deputy director of the Verband Schweizer Gemüseproduzenten VSGP (en.: Swiss Vegetable Producers Association). Greenhouse production also suffered from a lack of sunlight. A comparison of domestic volumes over the last three years shows that, while 2024 volumes were similar to 2023, they were significantly lower than 2022 figures.
Harvesting and crop care made more difficult
The wet conditions had a significant impact on the harvesting and care of the vegetables. "Crop care was more labour-intensive due to the weather, or in some cases was only possible with difficulty because the machines could not be driven on the wet soil," says Markus Waber. Moreover, planting and sowing of new seeds was often only possible after the fields had dried. This delayed the entire production process and ultimately also made harvesting more difficult.
Furthermore, the wet conditions increased the risk of plant diseases. "The rather wet conditions increased the risk of plant diseases – for example downy mildew in onions or head rot in broccoli," reports Markus Waber. This made the use of pesticides all the more necessary, while at the same time more and more active ingredients were being banned, and effective alternatives were lacking.
Challenges from quarantine organisms and market prices
In 2024, vegetable production was also affected by several quarantine organisms, which required additional measures and costs. At the same time, vegetable prices came under further pressure. "The retail trade is increasingly trying to compete and differentiate itself on price – this naturally has an impact on production," Markus Waber explains. In particular, the margins for products with long-term supply agreements are often very low.
Overall, vegetable import volumes remained at a similar level to previous years, but had to be increased in autumn 2024 to compensate for the weather-related shortfalls in domestic production.
Source: VSGP