The raspberry market is currently doing well. According to Belgian grower Chris Loncke from Frambofruit, raspberries are going for 1.30 to 1.40 per 125 gram for pre-sale at the Auction of BelOrta. This is because production is a bit lower right now. Last week the pre-sale price was still 1 Euro. In the free market they were going for 60 to 70 cents. That mainly has to do with the large supply."
Chris is happy that a lot of his sales are private and is pleased with the season partly due to the fact that he sells the raspberries himself, "I am talking about private, home sales. If you present it well, in a nice package, with good quality and at a good price, it will definitely be appreciated by the customers." He has five acres of raspberries; half in a greenhouse and half in polytunnels (from Van den Heuvel). Along with raspberries, Chris also grows blackberries, gooseberries, blueberries and red currants. These are only for private, home sales.
The cheapest product
For more information:
Frambofruit BVBA
Chris Loncke
Oude Ieperweg 26
8210 Loppem
GSM: 0477 95 80 21
chris@frambofruit.be
The cheapest product
Raspberry production in Europe has significantly increased in recent years, "You can definitely see it," says Chris. "There is a general trend in Horticulture that growers do not look at demand, they just grow. And then you quickly have too much. As growers we should ask ourselves: why are we expanding? Ultimately, aren't the lower prices our fault? Now that supply is continuing to increase, large customers are looking at the prices sooner. They do this to compete with their peers and so they can be the ones to supply to the stores. This is good for the traders because they have a high turnover, but the growers pay for the competition! For the past three years Dutch raspberry prices have been lower at peak moments than they were previously. This is due to the massive growth in acreage. More and more consumers are choosing the cheapest product. If the cheapest is not in Belgium or the Netherlands, then they will buy from Spain or Portugal."
For more information:
Frambofruit BVBA
Chris Loncke
Oude Ieperweg 26
8210 Loppem
GSM: 0477 95 80 21
chris@frambofruit.be