"Netherlands: "Good prospects Spanish tomatoes after slow start"

Fortuna Frutos has been importing tomatoes from the Canary Islands for over a month now. “In the first three weeks, sales were a bit sluggish,” says importer Gert-Jan Slobbe. “We were troubled by the last supplies of Dutch tomatoes, causing the market to be flooded by a jumble of quality and price ranges. And then there was the weather, affecting crops in Morocco, Spain and the Canary Islands. Fortunately this week’s quality has been excellent.”

“Retailers all over are now converting to the Canary Island produce. Price levels aren’t great yet, but they are bound to go up. In total we are expecting some 2,000 pallets to come in every week. These are the usual quantities.” Fortuna Frutos doesn’t just import tomatoes from the islands, but from all over Spain.

And not just tomatoes. “I’m looking at the first shipments of cucumbers right now,” says Gert-Jan. “There aren’t that many import cucumbers available yet, so sales are going well. Prices range between 6 and 7 Euro, so that’s okay.”