Specialties keep growing

BelOrta’s area of specialties keeps increasing. An area survey held by the association last year shows this.

In October 2015, BelOrta sent an area survey to all active and newly joined cultivators in order to report the cultivation planning for 2016. The surveys have now been processed. Below is the list of expected trends for the main products of the BelOrta growers. 

In 2016, the fruit vegetables area will remain the same in total due to the arrival of a number of new cultivators. There are also very few shifts among existing growers.

The global area of tomatoes, still an important product for BelOrta, will increase by 1.4 per cent. This increase is completely situated in the year-round cultivation. For the second year in a row a shift to illuminated cultivation can be seen. The share of illuminated cultivation now amounts to 14 per cent of the year-round cultivation area. In 2014 that was still only 4 per cent. Some noticeable shifts within the segments are visible.

The loose tomato area will decrease by 4 per cent. This decrease is completely situated in the segment Baron (-15 per cent). The Prince area will increase slightly by 1 per cent.

For vine tomatoes, an increase of 4 per cent can be seen. Just as with loose tomatoes, this increase is situated completely within one segment, Elite (+22 per cent), while the other segment, Prince, decreases by 6 per cent. 

The most important increase, however, can be seen with specialties (+19 per cent): Cherrystar (+109 per cent), Coeur de Boeuf (+29 per cent), Papritom (+163 per cent), San Marzano (+178 per cent) and snack tomatoes (+23 per cent).

After a sharp increase of the cucumber area in 2015, an increase of 9 per cent of the area is once again expected this year. This increase is completely attributable to the joining of a number of new cucumber growers who will supply cucumbers year-round.

The bell pepper area again slightly increases by 2.6 per cent, after a sharp increase in 2015. This increase is attributable to a number of fruit vegetable cultivators who have switched to growing bell peppers. The area of blocky peppers remains the same. The green bell pepper area remains the same. The yellow bell pepper area increases by 10 per cent. This increase compensates for the decrease of the red bell pepper area (-4 per cent), and for losing the orange bell pepper area.

In comparison to blocky peppers, an important increase of the pointed pepper area occurred, both for red (+45 per cent) and yellow (+80 per cent).

The courgette area will increase by 9 per cent. This increase is situated both in protected cultivation (+6 per cent) and outdoor cultivation (+10 per cent).

The aubergine area will decrease slightly by 2.5 per cent in 2016. Oval aubergines remain the most important strain. Furthermore, on a limited scale, Turkish, white, round and striped aubergines will be supplied.

A number of growers has indicated that they are going to stop cultivating greenhouse leaf vegetables this year. No new cultivators are joining. This causes the shifts for these crops to remain limited. It has been noted that our growers have increasingly applied to the cultivation of certain leaf vegetables. 

Few shifts are expected for classic butterhead lettuce. The area remains at the same level as the previous year. For alternative types of lettuce BelOrta expects an increase in supply of 10 per cent. This increase is attributable to the expansion of the surface of cultivation method ‘mobile gutter system.’ An increase of 6 per cent is expected for the lamb’s lettuce area annually.

The areas of other greenhouse leaf crops are limited. Because of this, if one grower changes anything, large shifts usually occur. The following trends are expected: a decrease for endive and green celery, no changes for chicory, and an increase for spinach, white celery and rocket salad.