There's considerable demand for certain products on the open field vegetable market. "Like cauliflower, which has become a true 'corona' item. Demand was good last year, and it is again this year. We currently offer Spanish and French cauliflower," says Kees van den Bosch of Freeland in the Netherlands.
"We have Dutch winter cauliflower too. We don't always know if these will come onto the market. But we have a little available now. Cauliflower is in high demand at the moment. That's particularly with our Central European and Scandinavian customers. And broccoli's following suite."
There's also a lot of demand for leeks. "The frost significantly thinned out the supply. These products are scarce and expensive. They were even selling for €1.50 to €1.60 before Easter. The market has now normalized somewhat toward between €1 and €1.20. I expect leeks to remain expensive for a while. Usually, at this time, we get Spanish leeks. But we're currently still exporting to Spain," Kees says.
Not all full soil vegetables are faring equally well, though. "The quality of the carrots, for example, hasn't been the best all season. The demand reflects that. The cabbage market is chugging along with stable prices. But white cabbage, in particular, is lower-priced. Red cabbage is slightly more expensive."
Freeland has also started importing red and yellow organic onions from Egypt. "The Dutch red onion season is over," explains Kees. "There's little room in the market for conventional onions. The organic market's friendlier. We're getting white onions in from India this week too."
The Dutch wholesaler also imports Egyptian pumpkins. "Also a corona item. These used to be autumn vegetables. However, last year, clients keep asking for this product until as late as the end of May. And why not? Pumpkin soup tastes just as good in the spring," Kees concludes.
For more information:
Kees van den Bosch
Freeland
126 Nijbracht
7821 CE, Emmen, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 591 670 570
Email: kees@freeland.nl
Website: www.freeland.nl