The month of October was a sombre affair for cauliflower growers. There were still high prices in mid September due to the small supply, but the product arrived almost all at once at the end of September. Over the whole year the season hasn't been good and this means that our annual figure has dropped," says grower Jos Stevens. He has an area of 13 hectares and supplies to BelOrta.
Cheap
"The market completely collapsed over the last month. In mid September we were still at 1.80, but in the weeks after that they were cheap as chips. The bottom price even hit 12 cents, which has never happened before." Jos believes it's a shame that the cauliflowers in the supermarkets were still priced well even in the worst period.
"At the moment the prices are slightly higher again, but this won't fix the season. We don't have a lot of volumes left. Our season runs from May to November. Most growers still have some late cauliflower. I will be starting the leek season again around Christmas." He has been hearing that some cauliflower grower will be dropping out. "There are more stopping than there are beginning. This is partially to do with the fact that it's not always financially attainable any more. There is a lot of work involved in the cultivation and then you still have the investments."
For more information:
Jos Stevens
jos.m.stevens@gmail.com
For more information:
Jos Stevens
jos.m.stevens@gmail.com