Although the weather hasn't been favourable all week, there is a good demand for summer fruit. "Cherries are popular at the moment," says Perry Verstraaten of wholesaler de Blaeij. "Because everyone wants to eat cherries, the strawberries are dropping a little." De Blaeij mainly has Belgian cherries in their assortment. "Unfortunately, the rain of the last few days has had a huge impact on the cherries. It is the end of the line for many cherries now that they have been rained on. When cherries are ripe, they are fit to burst. They couldn't deal with the extra water. It is possible that there will still be some supply from protected cultivation."
Cherry prices are rising
He indicates that cherries weren't too expensive last week. "But today you could see that there was only a third of the supply. The prices went right up. Another Euro or Euro and a half was added. This means the smaller ones cost 2.50 and the larger ones around 5.50. I don't expect them to become much more expensive. There has to be some to sell. When the cherry season here is over, we will start the Turkish season."
Less top fruit
Perry believes the area of top fruit is dropping. "There is still little in stock and the trade is quite quiet. You also notice that a lot of customers are on holiday and this calm period in top fruit usually lasts until the end of September. The quality of most apples and pears is still fine, but it can't sit around for much longer. The price of pears has gone down hugely over the last few weeks. There were maybe some growers who had speculated about good prices at the end of the season, but they have been disappointed."
For more information:
Perry Verstraaten
Groothandel de Blaeij
Lange Reksestraat 8
4538 AZ Terneuzen (The Netherlands)
Brugse Steenweg 7/40
9940 Evergem (België)
T +31(0)115-613234
F +31(0)115-694943
info@deblaeij.nl
www.deblaeij.nl