"Difficult market for organic greenhouse tomatoes due to rise in German acreage"

There has been an increase in the acreage used for German organic greenhouse vegetable cultivation. This has affected the sales of these Dutch products. "Until recently, German retail chains were filling their entire range of greenhouse vegetable varieties with products from the Netherlands. Now, they have gone into partnership with German growers. This has made them largely self-sufficient. We are only good enough to supplement promotions", says Siem van der Valk of Bio World. This company is based in the Dutch town of Poeldijk. They are specialised suppliers of organic fruit and vegetables. 

"During a marketing campaign, one needs, so to speak, 40 pallets of produce. After the sale is over, however, no pallets go out the door. This is the case for, in particular, vine tomatoes and bell peppers. This makes it very difficult to use up your existing volumes. Supplies to other sales destinations are still stable. Germany has, however, always been a huge import market. This is certainly affecting sales", says Siem.

"This has caused difficulty in sales throughout the season. It is a pity. We have no problems with cultivation techniques or volumes. We are very pleased with the quality of organic greenhouse vegetables. They can compete with the conventional products. Regular sales would, however, be very welcome", concludes Siem.