In a few weeks, the sweet potato season will start once again at BelOrta. “We will start in October and offer Belgian sweet potatoes until June next year,” says Benny Cuypers of BelOrta. “We have had sweet potatoes in our range for several years now and the volume is increasing every year. Last season we had 310 tonnes, but this year we are expecting a larger volume of sweet potatoes.”
“Sweet potato has found its way into the Belgian market in recent years and its popularity is still growing. The market is very international, but in recent years we have seen a shift towards Belgium and the Netherlands. There is an increasing focus on the local production of sweet potatoes. However, due to the competition from countries such as America and South Africa, it is quite a difficult market. Nevertheless, we see that the Belgian sweet potato is slowly starting to take its place in the market,” says Benny.
BelOrta currently has three permanent growers of sweet potatoes, but does not rule out the possibility that more will be added in the future. “Because we have only had the product in our range for a few years, we have to wait every year to see how the season will go, in terms of price formation and demand. Nevertheless, we strongly believe in this product and we hope that we have a good season ahead,” Benny concludes.
For more information:
Benny Cuypers
BelOrta 
Mechelsesteenweg 120
B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver
+32 (0) 155 655 291
verkoop@belorta.be
www.belorta.be