Brief leek revival

A few weeks ago, there was a brief revival in leek, but that seems to be over again now. According to Dominiek Keersebilck of REO Veiling, leek briefly spiked toward 50 cents. "But now we're back at a relatively low level again. This morning, the price was around 30 cents, so we can't say it's a long-term revival."

He indicates that at the moment, all European leek-producing regions have good productions. "The price increase was related to a temporary lower production and various promotions at European retailers. Now there is plenty of supply again: this morning we had 600 tonnes. Over a week ago, we had a high of 750 tonnes, so this region remains the most important region in Europe when it comes to the production of leek. Our producers respond very quickly to any increasing market demand. It is cold at the moment, but circumstances aren't so wintry that the producer has to stop working. So we hope to see an increase in demand again soon."

Export Spain
According to Dominiek, there's no reason to complain about the market circumstances in export. "The leeks are being sold rather quickly, and there's demand from all over. The south has become a particularly important market for us. Spain is mainly doing well. You can see this on a wholesale market like Barcelona, for instance. Flandria leek is the reference point there.

At the moment, all of REO Veiling's attention goes to repositioning the premium brand Flandria. This is done in various domains. "For instance, we tackle the problem of abuse of our brand at the source. Too often, our Flandria packages are reused to sell inferior produce. This causes a permanent undermining of the price. And we will also continue to focus further on quality," Dominiek says. "We are working on a focused variety selection with the season in mind. Flandria has to remain the reference point in the market when it comes to high-quality leek. For this reason, cultivation of certain varieties in autumn will be discouraged by REO Veiling."

REO Veiling is also working on developing a new packaging. "We will introduce this at the Fruit Logistica in Berlin."

Present at Fruit Logistica
This year, REO Veiling will, for the first time, have its own corner in the VLAM stand in Hall 6.2 - B06. "In the past, Belgian auctions were present under the Flandria label. Now they have their own corner where they can show their specialities and brands."

For more information:
Dominiek Keersebilck
REO Veiling
Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg 101
B-8800 Roeselare
Tel: +32-51231206
Fax: +32-51231289
www.reo.be