Last week was a strange week in Belgium and particularly in Brussels. "But certain reports of terror were a bit exaggerated," says a Belgian importer, who is offering Spanish vegetables at the moment. "It was calm in multiple parts of the trade, not just Brussels. Altogether it was a combination of events."
Multiple causes
"If you only supplied the catering in Brussels, you had a problem last week. Of course the terror threat had an impact, but it's not all about Brussels. For everyone else the trade continued as usual generally speaking. We were bothered by the freezing cold and it was the end of the month. All reasons why trade wasn't happening."
Supply and demand out of balance
He can't say that they didn't sell anything last week. "What we can say is that the prices weren't great. But what can you do? Everyone knows it and not much can be changed. The main thing is to continue to sell. Of course I would prefer higher prices, but you can't control supply and demand." It is December at the moment, so the prices could go up. "Some products are more expensive but it still isn't great. There are some bits and bobs that have slightly less production and higher prices, such as the aubergine. We will see how it develops. It's hard to predict in this market."