The predictions for the carrot season were disastrous due to the floods in the Hauts-de-France region at the end of 2023, but in the last few months, the campaign has actually been "much more positive than expected." Emmanuel Schaffner, sales director of the Verduyn group, gives an initial assessment.
Slightly longer campaign than expected
"The good news is that the campaign will last slightly longer than expected. We thought we would last until mid-April, but it looks like we will be going until the beginning of May," explains Emmanuel Schaffner. "Although the floods that hit several French departments had a major impact on the harvest, the sorting gaps for carrots were smaller than we might have feared. The end of the campaign will also depend on the arrival and positioning on the market of the carrots from Spain and Italy. "As far as we are concerned, the import period will certainly be shorter than we initially envisaged." The first French early carrots are scheduled for the end of May.
Calm market with higher prices
The market has been relatively calm but, "as it is the case each year," prices are higher than last year. "The regions that grow field carrots, especially the Manche and Landes basins, have noted a great deal of damage to their crops. For our part, storage costs are higher due to the increase in energy costs and the greater mass of soil stored with carrots in pallets."
This year is rather unusual, with a "two-stage" campaign. "We were able to take stock much later than usual, with everything sold under contract and on the open market. However, it is still complicated to know how the produce in cold storage will do on the open market, because cost prices are not the same. The most important thing in this tumultuous context is to be able to continue to offer a qualitative French supply for the longest time possible."
For more information:
Emmanuel Schaffner
Verduyn
Phone: +33 321 73 14 14
Mobile: +33 (0)6 12 85 68 37
emmanuelschaffner@verduyn.fr
http://www.verduyn.fr/fr