"Netherlands: "Strawberry price up thanks to nice weather"

Thanks to the nice weather, the strawberry market is improving. At Groothandel De Blaeij, the summer fruit is selling well. "Around Easter, it was still too cold for good sales, but since Tuesday, demand has increased. There's certainly no reason to complain," says Perry Verstraaten. "Spring has really started now. Customers now skip the winter vegetables, and are slowly starting to indulge in strawberries. The volumes are gradually on the rise now."

As demand is rising, the price increases as well. "Yesterday, they were still at around 2.80 to 2.90 per half kilo, but today we are already at 3.40 for the extra top." De Blaeij supplies strawberries year-round. "We're also still carrying some Spanish ones on the side at the moment. Many foreign customers consciously opt for these, purely because of the low price. Now, about 85 to 90 cents is offered for half a kilo. The difference in price and quality compared to the Belgian ones is big."

He doesn't expect the price to go up much more this week. "I think it will remain stable. Tomorrow the weather will be good, but Saturday not so much. Of course there are other factors apart from the weather, such as promotions in supermarkets. If a retail chain has a promo this weekend, the price could go up further. But I haven't heard anything about that yet. Apart from that, it's just hard to predict. You really have to look at it day by day."

For more information:
Perry Verstraaten
Groothandel de Blaeij
Lange Reksestraat 8
4538 AZ Terneuzen (Netherlands)
Brugse Steenweg 7/40
9940 Evergem (Belgium)
T +31(0)115-613234
F +31(0)115-694943
info@deblaeij.nl
www.deblaeij.nl