In a short time, strawberry prices dropped considerably in Belgium. Supply at the three auctions is large. On Wednesday, about 600 tonnes were supplied in total. Despite the fact that there are various brands in Belgium, strawberries are auctioned at one national product clock. Similar qualities are sold at the same time, so that the mutual price differences are generally not very large.
Response from Dominiek Keersebilck, REO Veiling
“Prices are very low,” confirms Dominiek Keersebilck. “For example, prices for good strawberries were around 78 cent per half-kilo punnet last week. On 12 May, those same strawberries fetched prices of 2.10 euro per punnet.” According to him, it’s difficult to pinpoint the causes. “Supply increased, of course, but demand currently isn’t following. That can be seen with all auctions.” Dominiek says it could also be positive. “When prices are low, we can work on export markets more easily. Quality is decent to very good, and that offers more opportunities. Trying to find new demand to remove this increased volume should soon restore balance and acceptable price levels.”