"Tomatoes still strikingly good of quality and price"

Belgian vegetable trade quiet

It is quiet in the Belgian vegetable trade. "I think everybody is waiting for it to start again," an exporter mentions. "It is really not going too well at the moment, but hopefully this is the calm before the storm. We ship rather a lot to Germany and it is said there that the leeks are almost finished, but they have been saying this for quite a while already. For the time being it looks like they still have sufficient amounts. How long this will last, I do not know. In any case not a great deal goes there. Looking at prices, there is nothing that will increase it and consequently not much goes to other destinations either. To-day the price was between 25 and 30 cents. That is little for the time of the year. It is also possible that it is still too warm at the moment."

Not much interest
"Also for other vegetables, such as lettuce and carrots, there is not much interest. Possibly the corn salad will be a little more expensive shortly. There is actually no exception and everybody still has left overs, which are to be finished first. Also there is always more production of lettuce in Italy and France and I am under the impression that these countries occupy a large part of the market."

Quality and price of tomatoes good
Tomatoes are still available. "This year it took longer than other years and I have been surprised a few times that the quality is still that good. It is the middle of December now and so far this year I have seen a lot worse than the ones we are receiving now. Volumes are not large, but still nice for trading with. For growers it is too late to do well, but good prices are still being made. The level of the price of loose tomatoes today was about 1.30 and yesterday 1.40 to 1.60/kg. I wonder how the Belgian area will develop. Something will have to change, because this situation is unmanageable for everybody."

Publication date: Mon 16 Dec 2013