Uncertainty is rife in the greenhouse vegetable market. Nevertheless, Arie Middelburg of GreenMatch, which is involved in the development of sales and pricing, is offering a prediction preview of the season for the four large greenhouse vegetables. "But it became clear last year that everything is under great reservation due to Corona, so it remains to be seen."
Peppers: High home consumption
"Last year the balance for the bell peppers turned out reasonably well. The retail has been able to sell a lot of bell peppers and thus compensate for the loss of sales to other channels. I had not expected this last spring when the distant exports and sales to the catering industry ceased, but due to high home consumption, pepper growers have generally had a good season. The question is whether this has many structural effects. There has been some expansion of the area of red and orange peppers. At first, this expansion seems quite substantial for orange peppers. The orange pepper used to be an outsider that was almost only grown for the export to the US. Nowadays the orange pepper easily fits in as a regular colour on the shelf and that is being followed by more and more retailers," says Arie.
Cucumbers: Expansion more spread out by lighting and high wire
The cucumber acreage has also been expanded, partly by our own growers, but also as a result of tomato growers who are switching to cucumbers due to the ToBRFV virus. The question is whether the market can properly handle this expansion. Due to lighting and high-wire cultivation, the expansion gives a completely different production spread than was previously the case. Traditionally, Spain has a lot of influence on the market in the spring, but now - partly due to the weather problems at the beginning of this year - it has more difficulty in supplying. I don't necessarily see the season as negative. At the moment there is some price pressure, but the supermarkets are doing their job well in the cucumber sales."
Tomatoes: Do you want to export vine tomatoes to Southern Europe in the summer this year?
“At the moment there is a shortage of tomatoes on all fronts and the prices can be called quite good. The question is how this will develop further in the spring when all of Western Europe is back in production. We see a shift from loose tomatoes to vine and from vine to specialties. The latter group can look forward to ever-increasing consumption, although the question is whether the balance in the market will be maintained. Last year, after a difficult spring, the specialty market still took off reasonably well. Brexit and holidays are also more of an influence on the tomato market than with peppers, for example. Last year, the export of vine tomatoes to southern Europe suffered from the canceled holidays, which meant that the majority had to be sold in Western Europe. We are quite dependent on the United Kingdom for the sale of loose tomatoes, so we have to wait and see what consequences the Brexit and Corona will have," says Middelburg.
Aubergines: Very different sales without Corona
"Despite a higher acreage and a higher production, sales of aubergines were fantastic last year. Without Corona, sales might have looked very different, but significantly more aubergines were sold in the supermarkets. The consumer acquaintance with aubergines and the gradual higher consumption can also have a positive effect on the coming years. The acreage has remained fairly stable this year," Arie concludes.
For more information:
Arie Middelburg
GreenMatch 
middelburg@greenmatch.nl
www.greenmatch.nl