"It's absurd that these days, Dutch auctions sell oranges and other imported fruits. I can't wrap my head around it," says Gert Lukassen, patriarch of the Dutch company Lukassen AGF. He is concerned about developments in the fruit and vegetable world and finds offering imported products at auctions particularly controversial.
"The ZON cooperative started with this, and now it's increasingly happening at Zaltbommel and The Greenery. Along with imported vegetables, Dutch auctions are even selling oranges. It's disgraceful."
"It used to be something special when the first Dutch cucumbers came up for auction. Now, they auction those alongside Spanish ones. It baffles me," Gert admits. "If I were a grower, I'd immediately stop bringing Dutch products to auction."
"They're just short of auctioning bananas. But why? They should stick to what they're best at and allow importers to make a living, too. We're struggling at the moment. But greengrocers who get their goods from us now buy their imported fruit at the auction. We have 24 trucks, but we might get rid of half at this rate," Gert concludes.
For more information:
Gert Lukassen
G.H. Lukassen & Zn
Mob: +31 (0) 653 330 119
[email protected]
www.lukassenagf.nl