The cauliflower has ended again for grower Jos Stevens. He notes it's been a lacklustre year. "When I look back on the past seasons, the mid price has only gone down for us, and costs have increased. As a result, the work isn't always fun for growers anymore."
Sad
In addition to the decreasing price, there's another problem many growers are facing. "We do our utmost to supply perfect products, but when you see our product in most supermarkets, it's very sad. Most have their vegetable department set up like a self-service store. Some vegetables can handle a consumer touching it, but not cauliflower. As soon as people touch the cauliflower too much, spots will appear. Not enough attention is given to our product. It needs to be presented in an attractive way, and not get damaged in the store."
Stevens completed the season a week ago. "We ended up with a price around 30/40 cents. That's far too low, we need at least double that amount to cover costs and make some money. I heard that the price was just over 40 cents today, so it hasn't increased a lot."
Old-fashioned
He wonders how the cauliflower cultivation will develop in future. "Sometimes old growers retires, and few new ones emerge. So the volume will likely go down. Still, that won't cause prices to suddenly increase, because it's a fact that demand for cauliflower has gone down. The consumer has a great deal of choice, and many find cauliflower 'old-fashioned'. Suppose the supermarket would present and promote it better, then there could still be a revival, because it's a very healthy vegetable."
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