The Belgische Fruitveiling received the first strawberries of the season late last week. "That's a little later than usual," says Diether Everaerts of this Belgian cooperative. "That's due to the weather and the slightly later planting. The strawberries' quality is good. We sell them under Truval, our quality brand. The supply's still quite limited. But volumes will increase in the coming weeks. These first strawberries are of the Clery variety. That's always the first variety on the market in this area. We expect the first Sonatas and Sonsations next week. "
“They're priced at around €4 to €4,50 per 500g. That's good for this time of year. A few weeks ago, they were still between €7 and €8. That was because of the low supply from Spain and Morocco. We don't think these prices will drop in the coming weeks. When the weather improves, and certainly towards the Easter holidays, demand will increase considerably. There are also two large Belgian stores that want to get started already. Supply is still limited, and demand is on the rise. So, these prices won't drop in these first three weeks."
The Belgische Fruitveiling's strawberry acreage has shrunk somewhat. "This year, we'll end up with around 3.5 or 4 million kg of strawberries. That's seven to eight percent less than last year. The decline is due to growers switching to other crops or cutting back a little," says Diether.
"Outdoor strawberries share has noticeably fallen too. And farmers are focusing more on growing greenhouse straw-berries in the spring and autumn. When you switch to glass, you can better spread the risks. The supply also fluctuates less."
“The emphasis used to be on the Elsanta variety. Now, however, we consider many other kinds of strawberries too. There are lots of new varieties on the market. Each has its advantages, like flavor or homogeneity. Sonata and Sonsation strawberries taste great. The Malling Centenary variety produces few small fruits. This variety is in its fourth year of production. And it has a very low percentage of small strawberries. We have the Portola and Veretie for processing or export. They're a bit hardier and firmer," concludes Diether.
For more information:
Diether Everaerts
Belgische Fruitveiling
82 Montenakenweg
3800, St. Truiden, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 116 93 411
Email: diether.everaerts@bfv.be
Website: www.bfv.be