"We have quite a bit of work but it's too late. There are still huge stocks of carrot and they won't get used up," expects Paul van der Linde of Van der Linde. "There is demand from Germany and Poland now, but much later than usual. I expect there to be demand for the next two weeks, but then most countries will switch to early carrots. The reports are that Croatia will switch to Italian carrots and Germany to the Spanish at the end of May. Those are at least two that will drop out. I don't hear any strange reports about the quality of the new harvest, so it must be good."
Important buyer Germany has only been on the market for two weeks, says Paul. In other years they were much earlier. Paul: "We have a big problem. Germany is really being missed as a buyer. German consumers prefer homegrown and it was in full supply this year. The Netherlands is filling the holes in the market, as with onions. 90% is for export, but there weren't any gaps in any countries."
There are no complaints about the quality of the Dutch carrots. August and September were dry months, which means the condition of the carrots in storage has remained good. "But that also means the volume was very high this year. We have stores," says Paul. Meanwhile the sector is making a loss. Paul: "The prices were low all season. At the moment carrot is being sold well below the cost price. In a good year the price can go up to 275 Euro per box. At the moment boxes of carrots are leaving for just a tenth of the average price, 10 to 15 Euro per box."
For more information:
Van der Linde
Paul van der Linde
Mob: +31 (0) 6 - 52 06 36 01
Paulvanderlinde@vanderlindebv.com
www.vanderlindebv.com