"Considerable demand for strawberries"

Strawberries have become a more important product group for BelOrta since the fusion with Borgloon. In March the first strawberries were supplied to the auction and over the last few weeks the volumes have increased. The season is slightly later than last year, but is expected to soon break free. "On average a small 2,000 to 2,500 boxes per day are supplied to the sites Borgloon and Zellik," says Johan Vergote of BelOrta.

More Elsanta
He says the demand is considerable and the price setting is reasonably good. "Today (Monday April 13) the price was a bit lower than last week, but there's always a difference between the beginning and end of the week. As of next week there will be a lot more strawberries supplied. "Elsanta will arrive in full then, which will increase the volume." The main variety for BelOrta in the early spring is Sonata. "Sonata is known for its good flavour and is especially celebrated domestically. What is striking is that the shelf life of this variety is also especially good."

Strawberry area stable
BelOrta's strawberry area increased a little in 2014. The area has remained stable this year. "What stands out over the last few years is a shift towards more protected cultivation. There used to be more unprotected open ground cultivation, but nowadays the ratio of unprotected versus protected is 40 and 60 percent respectively. Growers are choosing protection more and more often for harvest certainty and generally better prices. You also see a shift to protected cultivation for raspberries and other soft fruit."

Snow-White
"What is also fully available at the moment, are the Snow-White strawberries. These are small white/pink strawberries with a refreshing taste. They are supplied in a 12*125g packaging. Other packaging is available upon request," concludes Johan.

For more information:
BelOrta
Tel: +32 2 481 08 83 (division Zellik)
of +32 12 670 239 (division Borgloon)
verkoopfruit@belorta.be
www.belorta.be