"Sales at auction are gaining in importance again. With the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, growing under contract is becoming more difficult." This is according to Dominiek Keersebilck, Commercial Director at the Belgian auctioneers, REO Veiling. "An increasing number of farmers prefer contract cultivation. However, lately, they have slowly started returning to the auction market. A good example of this is the situation in the potato market. We are sure that the auction prices are correct, based on supply and demand. Buyers and growers also play open cards with each other when they buy or sell at auction. This leads to a transparent market."
Dominiek Keersebilck at Fruit Attraction in Madrid
'Tomatoes at the forefront'
REO Veiling is well-known for its full soil product auction. However, the share of soft fruit is increasing sharply. "Soft fruit is very popular and the demand is ever-increasing. There is a continued trend toward 'forgotten' vegetables, as with the 'superfood', kale, great beans, and mushrooms. Leeks are still currently the most important product. Sixty million kgs are sold per year. We, however, expect tomatoes to eventually become the forerunner", says Keersebilck. Vegetable such as chicory, greenhouse lettuce, and cauliflower are losing popularity. However, convenience products such as pre-cut vegetables are gaining ground.
Leeks, strawberries, runner beans, and yellow gem squash
Brand policy
Various institutions in Belgium want the population to eat more fruit and vegetables. Consumption is, however, growing slowly. This slow increase in consumption is due to various trends in recent years. "The market is changing. After 2012 we decided to implement a brand policy to stimulate consumption actively. At REO, we have the Flandria, Tomabel and Fine Fleur brands. The Fine Fleur label is used by growers who have chosen to farm traditionally. The focus is on knowledge, taste and presentation", explains Keersebilck.
France
This year, REO Veiling is focusing on their local Belgian market and France. "Our neighbouring country's population is growing. Yet, their agricultural acreage is decreasing. We are 30 km from the border here. We are recruiting French growers who also grow for the French market. The French are picky and prefer buying local products, so we are going to focus on that", says this company's commercial director. "We have recently invested in a crate washing plant. The auction house also has future plants to optimise byproduct processing. In this manner, food wastage will be limited", concludes Dominiek.
The different kinds of packaging. In the left corner is the French packaging
Les Nouveaux Producteurs is a French market brand
The empty sales hall after an auction
For more information:
Dominiek Keersebilck
REO Veiling
101 Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg
B-8800 Roeselare
Tel: +32 (0) 51 23 12 06