Lettuce
Round lettuce mainly came from Belgium and France. Germany, the Netherlands and Italy expanded the range. In most cases the supply was sufficient to meet the calm demand. The price levels remained stable, except for the Belgian lettuce whose prices kept increasing. The Italian imports sold for low prices: 3 to 4 Euro per 8, just as the Dutch imports rose to 8 Euro for a box of 16 lettuces. The supply of the Spanish iceberg continued to be low. When the sales were sufficient, the prices remained at a high level, but on Wednesday the prices dropped a little. Only in Hamburg the prices were lowered slightly, right from the start due to an increased availability. Mixed salad wasn’t in high demand, but towards the weekend the sales improved. The prices often followed directly with an upward movement. Endives mainly came from Italy. On several occasions traders increased the prices, however, those price levels could rarely be maintained until Friday. The balanced amounts of lambs’ lettuce sold relatively fast. The German season is coming to a close.
Cauliflower
The tricky situation barely changed, the shortage in the supply considerably increased the prices. A batch of Italian cauliflowers sold for prices of up to 19 Euro while alternatives from France achieved levels of up to 25 Euro.
Cucumbers
Overall, the vast Central European supplies had overtaken the supplies from Southern Europe. The supplies clearly increased and that led to a drop in the prices no matter the origin of the cucumbers.
Tomatoes
Due to the manageable supply the prices increased. As a result the sales slowed down. Some traders could reverse this process with price reductions.
Sweet peppers
The small amounts of Spanish imports continued to dominate the market. This allowed for high prices or even increased prices. However the prices couldn’t remain at that level due to the increased supply of sweet peppers from Central Europe.
Onions
The availability of onions from New Zealand rapidly pushed the German onions from the market. The presence of the New Zealand onions was beneficial for the range because the German supplies clearly decreased.
Apples
German apples dominated the trade and the prices remained stable within a relatively constant margin. And sometimes the prices increased, within those margins, due to a decreased availability.
Pears
Overall, the demand was calm. And while the prices often remained at the current levels, if the supplies increased the prices had to be decreased, to push the sales.
Grapes
The prices remained stable due to a supply that matched the demand. But in some cases the prices dropped due to insufficient ripeness or uncertain conditions.
Kiwis
The supply matched the sales possibilities. And the prices remained stable, with an exception in Munich.
Oranges
Overall the demand was too calm, with often a clear interest in smaller oranges for juicing. So traders had to be flexible with their prices.
Other small citrus fruits
The supply decreased considerably. Sales of the products is increasingly difficult. Nevertheless on several occasions the prices could be increased, if the quality was outstanding. Quality flaws had to be dealt with appropriately decreased prices.
Lemons
The prices only fluctuated slightly. However sometimes the prices decreased due to a lower demand of the Turkish lemons, this in contrast to the increase in the prices of the Greek lemons.
Bananas
The supply was mainly determined by the quiet demand. As a result the prices hardly changed. However, sometimes the prices slightly increased as a result of a slightly lower availability.
Source: BLE, week 11, 2016
