“The chicory market has completely collapsed over the course of two weeks,” says Marloes Neefjes of Witlofkwekerij LOF from Espel. “Prices are low and the sales are tough, while in the previous weeks we had the opposite: high demand and good prices. The switch was quite sudden and we don't know exactly what the reason for it is yet. We see that people have not suddenly switched en masse to lettuce, because there are currently less sales everywhere. It's as if everyone is emptying their pantry with canned food.”
“A few weeks ago, the market was great. Normally it's a mediocre period, but we've had really good weeks with a lot of demand in Europe despite the corona virus. That has now changed everywhere. Even the price doesn't make much difference now. ”
The white chicory and red chicory are currently being sold at rock bottom prices. “We will certainly not be selling below the floor price, as harvesting will cost more than dumping. Then we would rather scale down the production a bit and, if possible, shift the chicory to next week or, in the worst case, we will have to dump a share. After all, we run on fresh products that we grow to order, nothing comes from our stock. I do notice that the prices in the supermarket are still at the same level. ”
But what could be the reason for the demand to disappear like this? According to Marloes, the cause cannot be the warm weather that the demand has disappeared. "Chicory also does well in the summer in salads or even on the barbecue." At an international level, there are a number of developments on the market that can affect the market. “We hear here and there that, for example, the French chicory is offered cheaply. We also have a number of customers who export a lot to the United States, but in recent weeks the export to this market has become very expensive. There are hardly any planes flying anymore and if something does fly, the price for transport is sky high. This also has an impact on our sales.”
Nevertheless, it is expected and hoped that it will pick up again in the coming weeks. “Many nurseries stop production in the summer months and that can be an advantage on the market for us,” says Marloes. “In addition, we have many regular customers who know that we deliver good quality and they will come again when the demand increases again on the market. For now it is just that things can and should be done better. ”
For more information:
Marloes Neefjes
Witlofkwekerij LOF
Pilotenweg 28/1
8311 PL Espel
T: 0031 (0) 527-271375
www.witlofkwekerijlof.nl
info@witlofkwekerijlof.nl