"As a mushroom wholesaler we are afraid of the first spring heat wave. The first wave can never be pinpointed to an exact time. We do know that when it comes, the consumer immediately moves towards cold vegetables. The market revives after the dip, but the demand is generally less than in winter," says Paul Delbeke of Districhamp. "The quality of the mushrooms is very good, but the productions are slightly lower compared to last year. The compost isn't of the same quality, which is likely due to the warm dry summer of 2018."
Brexit
The Christmas period was hectic, as it is most years. "We have a large turnover in this period every year, but the profits are limited because everything is so hectic. Transport, supply of mushrooms and other important factors were harder to organise because the holidays were in the middle of the week. Normal weeks are best for the trader and grower. It means we can prepare better," according to Paul. Although no product goes to the British market anymore, Brexit could still cause problems on the market. "15 to 20 percent of our sales used to go to Great Britain, but it disappeared because the Polish focused on the British market. Due to the price pressure and the variation of the pound we decided to stop. We hope Great Britain doesn't drop out as a market for Poland, otherwise they may come back in our direction with their product. Although we don't need to fear the quality of the Polish mushrooms, it can cause pressure on the price formation.
Residue free
The popularity of mushrooms is still on the rise. "Especially when you compare the consumption to ten years ago. The share of chestnut mushrooms is also growing, but not as quickly as in Germany. In some German areas it makes up almost 30 to 40% of the mushroom consumption. Our cultivation also doesn't use crop protection against. We chose this because it is an extra trump towards our customers. It's an adjustment in the cultivation, but I'm convinced that these types of products will become a standard in the future," concludes Delbeke.
For more information:
Paul Delbeke
Districhamp
Brugsesteenweg 66
8740 Pittem
00 32 51 48 58 97
info@voc-districhamp.be
www.voc-districhamp.be