“Waiting for price rise of celeriac, but poor quality pressures market”

“In general, volumes start to increase from March, but demand for celeriac has not yet hit its stride,” says Robert den Ouden from Rodeno Agri Products. “April, May and June are good months. Last year we had a great season, but now we are just waiting to see whether we’ll have any demand at all. Because quality is less good than last year, the market is somewhat pressured.”

The celeriac area was about 1,700 hectares last season, slightly larger than in previous years. Ninety-eight per cent of that is meant for export, but because there is no demand yet, prices remain low. Robert: “Cultivators who are now selling celeriac from cold stores, are not getting more than if they were able to sell straight from the fields. Prices for the fresh market were at 16.17 cents in recent weeks. That is not cost-effective when yields are low. Cultivators are therefore currently farming backwards. We have to wait for a price increase, but the market is also starting to get pressured. Celeriac will have to be sold, because quality for the fresh market will not last much longer. But celeriac from air-conditioned barns has to be sold now. Sales from mechanical coolings have already started as well.”

Celeriac is a popular product throughout Europe. Leading importers are Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Hungary, but product is also sent to Scandinavia, Germany, France and Italy. Celeriac is promoted increasingly often in the Netherlands, according to Robert. “The Dutch mostly know it as an ingredient in pea soup. The crop is now available in supermarkets year-round, although that still concerns small volumes.”

Celeriac has been Robert’s core business for years already. Two years ago, he founded his own company, in which the trade of celeriac is central, both for industrial processing and for the fresh market. Besides this daily trade, he also trades beetroot, parsnip, red onions and carrots. “The carrot market is currently a bit dramatic. We still have 3.5 months to go, and much still has to be sold. The season is becoming shorter, when early carrots from Spain, France or Israel start arriving, people will no longer want the old Dutch carrot anymore.”