According to GfK, the lean years for purchasing fruit and vegetables in the Netherlands are over. In 2016 sales of both fruit and vegetables increased by five per cent. Prices in particular were on the rise. Cucumber and bell pepper sold well throughout the year, tomato prices recovered after a bad start. Volume increases remained limited to two per cent for vegetables and one per cent for fruit. Over the entire 2008-2015 period, sales of fruit and vegetables increased by two per cent. It is expected that the increase in sales will be slightly less positive in 2017 due to the expensive euro. For the first time in seven years, the greenhouse area increased slightly in 2016, indicating that greenhouse vegetables have left the lean years behind them. This was especially true for bell peppers. Some new greenhouses are even being built. There is a chance that energy prices will increase again in 2017, after several favourable years. However, investors are increasingly counting on thermal springs. Costs are fairly stable for those.
Only the export volume of pears increased in 2016
Export of fruit and vegetables fell in 2016: value increased due to higher prices
As opposed to the domestic market, the export volume negatively developed in 2016. The export of tomatoes and bell peppers decreased slightly up to November, that of cucumbers decreased significantly. This was a consequence of the smaller harvests. The export of apples decreased by more than 20 per cent, while that of pears increased by almost ten per cent. This is partly due to the size of stocks from last harvest season. However, prices are considerably higher than in 2015 because of the smaller supply and increased demand, which is why the export value of vegetables increased by more than three per cent, and that of fruit by almost 17 per cent. Source: ING