Spain: Smaller supply Spanish broccoli and lettuce because of cold nights
In spite of a pretty blue sky sparkling over the Spanish field vegetables, the nights are very cold, causing a dwindling supply of produce that includes broccoli and lettuce. This according Thomas Bos, who with his company Thomasol Gestión SL, engages in commission, trade and transport mediation in all Spanish production areas.
"Everyone thought that after Christmas, the pressure would fade a bit, but that didn’t happen. The current supply is extremely disappointing to say the least, and many people didn’t see it coming."
"[Retailer] Edeka in Germany is now selling lettuce for 77 cents, while over here they pay 7-8 Euro," says Thomas. According to the trader, the high prices in recent weeks have impacted the broccoli sales enormously.
"If the price stays up there for too long, broccoli sales will just diminish. I think too much importance is placed on supplies sometimes. The market should just loosen up a little, have some faith."
"The quality of the broccoli, fortunately, is very good. With lettuce, there are some problems. Growers have tried to cover crops with cloth to protect them against the cold, but that is not always beneficial for the quality of iceberg lettuce.”
The Spanish greenhouse vegetables season is moving along quite nicely, says Thomas. "The eggplants, though, are way too expensive (14-16 euros) and it is very difficult to get quality eggplants these days.”
“I expected more price correction for peppers, because the shipments from Israel are delayed. The cucumber season is going normal and good prices for courgettes are being fetched, from what I hear.”
For more information:
Thomasol Gestion
Calle Venta de la Remuda 8
03560 El Campello-Alicante
Tel: 0034- 669 636 873
Fax: 0034- 965 632 791
[email protected]
www.thomasol.eu
