This year's summer period was not, as is tradition, quiet at Districhamp. This mushroom company is located in Pittem, Belgium. "Demand has not been bad over the last few months. A large player in the mushroom market went bankrupt in the Netherlands. We felt the consequences of the associated shortages here in Belgium," says Districhamp's Paul Delbeke.
Cultivation will be adjusted again to a fast schedule in the coming months. "The busy period starts in September. It runs through to the end of April. When people have cold vegetables, they eat fewer mushrooms. They are, however, automatically included in warm dishes."
“Mushroom prices rising”
The grower and trader has noticed that mushrooms prices have climbed a little in recent years. This is because the number of players has become more limited. At the same time, cultivation has become more expensive.
“This, however, does not mean the mushroom market is an easy one. Many companies are struggling, including the smaller ones. We see more and more that the smaller companies are specializing. They are switching to organic or greenhouse cultivation," says Paul.
"Companies must be of a certain size to be able to reduce their cost price. This reduction can translate into lowering picking costs, becoming more energy efficient or by entering into better contracts with suppliers."
Packaging is becoming a challenge
“We had a dry summer in 2018. This has resulted in problems with our compost's quality this year. We had a very dry summer this year too. Thanks to this, these issues may also continue next year. The inferior quality of the compost means there are fewer nutrients available for the mushrooms. This has resulted in lower production," explains Delbeke.
Packaging is also going to become a challenge in the future. "Plastic packaging cannot really disappear. Consumers prefer cardboard or sustainable packaging. On the other hand, there is always a price that nobody wants to pay."
I personally still think plastic packaging remains a good choice. But only if it can be reused. Must more not be done to prevent plastic from ending up in nature? In Switzerland, it seems 90% of all plastic is being sorted. It is then later used in all kinds of sectors as a new raw material," Paul concludes.
For more information:
Paul Delbeke
Districhamp
66 Brugsesteenweg
8740 Pittem, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 51 48 58 97
info@voc-districhamp.be
www.voc-districhamp.be