The Belgian tomato season has had a good winter period. “Demand for Belgian tomatoes was good, but we’ve noticed the supply of Spanish and Moroccan product also affects the market. Prices for Belgian tomatoes are a bit high at the moment, as a result of the Dutch market. For vine tomatoes, prices currently vary. On Tuesday, prices in Belgium were around €7.25 for a box, while in the Netherlands vines were offered for €6.40. Specialities were expensive for a long time, but despite this, demand was good throughout this period,” according to a Belgian trader.
“The areas of Belgian tomatoes are well attuned to each other, and the supply was sufficient for the market. Only beefsteak tomatoes of illuminated production were scarce in the past period, so that supply became pressured at auctions. As a result, sellers were affected by too expensive and unrealistic prices,” the trader says. “We’ve noticed our customers prefer Spanish product after Belgian product, instead of Moroccan product.” For the coming season, the trader expects large productions will start earlier because of the warm weather.