According to Henk van Doorne, lettuce sales are mediocre. He's from Van Doorne Imex in the Netherlands. "There's not even a large supply. But, there's also little demand. The Middle East still wants some lettuce. But sales in [the Netherlands] neighboring countries is dead. I attribute this largely to the COVID-19 second wave. The hospitality industry is at a complete standstill. Fewer people go to the market in this rainy weather too. That all has an impact."
"Prices are still reasonable. Demand for [the Dutch supermarket chain] Jumbo's lettuce has fallen somewhat in the last ten days. But the price is around €0.35 to €0.40. Mixed lettuce is going for about €0.30, although that can fluctuate quite a bit." Henk's busy preparing for the winter growing season. "We'll have to see whether the lettuce will sell. The ban on certain chemicals is leaving its mark. For the time being, there are no substitutes either."
"There used to be many lettuce farmers here in Westland. Now, there are eight or ten, at most. And they're looking around as well. In terms of price, it was, after all, a scraggy summer. Is gutter cultivation the solution? Maybe in the winter and spring. But in the summer, it's not easy in terms of quality. I used to sell millions of heads of lettuce a year; not anymore," Henk concludes.
For more information:
Henk van Doorne
Van Doorne Imex
60-62 Noordlandseweg
2691 KM, 's-Gravenzande, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 174 417 989
Fax: +31 (0) 174 417 989
Mob: +31 (0) 626 068 284