The carrot trade is nothing to write home about. "There are large supplies with bad quality," Ronald Gielleit of Top Fresh Handel sums up the situation. This company is based in Kraggenburg, the Netherlands. "On the whole, it will become a challenging season. The cold stores are full. After the 'test rinse,' the carrots' quality was also often disappointing. There are, however, still some batches that have not been rinsed yet."
"Demand is low for this time of year. Here and there, a batch is sold; for example, last week to Germany. But, things are not wild. Something has to happen in the coming weeks. Prices are under heavy pressure. The exchange in Emmeloord is noting prices of €0,08/9. We can, then, not drop much more," says Ronald.
Top Fresh is fully specialized in the cultivation and processing of ready-to-eat carrots. They do this for the local and international markets from their processing plant in Kraggenburg. "We sell and export to the whole of Europe. We service our clients throughout the year. To do so, we work closely with farmers from various countries. These are in Germany, England, France, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, and Israel. We offer the whole carrot range year-round. This includes conventional as well as organic products."
According to this trader, they are selling more organic carrots, compared to their conventional counterparts. "But that market is much smaller and the season is shorter. There is a large supply of organic carrots too. The quality of these carrots is, however, generally better. Probably because these products were grubbed earlier."
When asked what could save the season, Gielleit answers, "There is an advantage to having bad quality carrots now. The good quality ones might remain expensive until the end. But this is not guaranteed. Winter weather could also create a better mood for carrot consumption. That is, however, not expected for another two weeks either. I recently chatted with a large farmer. He reckons prices will rise after 5 March. Let us hope that he had the right end of the stick."
For more information:
Ronald Gielleit
Top Fresh Handel
21 Zuiderringweg
8317 RA Kraggenburg, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 527 745 043
Fax: +31 (0) 527 615 008
Email: ronald@topfreshhandel.nl
Website: www.topfresh.nl