The blueberry season is in full swing at the Schrijnwerkers family farm in Oudsbergen, Flanders. So far, the season has been satisfactory for grower Frans, although he notes that market pressure from abroad is gradually increasing. "We'll now have to see what consumers are truly willing to pay for local," explains the grower, originally from the Netherlands, Limburg.
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"It started off very energetically," Frans remarks. "The crop was abundant and of good quality. The yields are solid, and the quality is above average. We had fairly early ripening, with the blueberries already starting to colour nicely in May. We encountered some challenges with light frost damage in the spring, but we managed to overcome them quite well. This allowed us to start harvesting and marketing relatively early, though demand was initially lacking due to the tail end of the Spanish season. That's why we eventually chose to pick a bit later. We know from experience that you can harvest early at 3 kilos per hour, or wait and pick at 8 or 9 kilos per hour. That makes a big difference, especially with high labour costs here. We want to get the first berries to customers at a good price, but the financial picture has to make sense too."
Foreign pressure
Despite this, Frans, who also grows raspberries together with a fellow grower, began the season in earnest about a month ago. "Orders have been quite strong so far, and berry growth has picked up. Over the last few days, we've seen some sunburn due to heat and strong sunlight, but even so, most of the fruit has come through in good condition. We're still feeling positive. Pricing at the beginning wasn't necessarily high, but it was workable. Now we're starting to see volumes increase, which is putting pressure on prices. There's still profit to be made, and we're managing to place the fruit well, which is a positive sign, but you can sense some nervousness in the air. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it keeps everyone sharp," Frans laughs.
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"Still, foreign pressure is starting to build. Serbia is in full production, and Romania and Poland are just beginning their first harvests. Once those really ramp up, we'll have to see how the market develops. Will it be an oversupply situation, or will everything continue to move well? Then there's Peru, which in the latter part of our season can produce high-quality fruit at low prices. You can clearly see them bounce back strongly at certain times of year. The same applies to raspberries from southern regions, which fetch good prices during supply gaps. As a result, during peak production periods, like when we're on the market, they can afford to go very low. That makes things difficult, and it's something we'll need to monitor closely moving forward."
Paying for local
The key issue now is whether consumers are truly willing to pay for locally grown fruit. "We're already competing with unequal conditions, so it's important to emphasise the local aspect. As a grower, you're dependent on the crop. It's there, and it has to be consumed. You can't just switch to another product like a trader can. We can make minor adjustments, but the situation is the same with potatoes. If production is high and consumption lags, things quickly become difficult. There is interest in local, though. A recent survey showed that 60 to 70 per cent of consumers want to buy local, but once they're standing at the shelf with their wallet in hand, that willingness often drops to a disappointing figure. It's up to us to get people to buy more consciously, and that's something we're actively working on."
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"It's simply a challenging crop; there's no getting around that. We have to do, and sometimes give up, a lot to stay profitable. And sometimes we don't succeed. But that can't last too long, or it stops being fun. You need some breathing room now and then to bring everything back up to standard. We've seen it in the apple sector, and things have improved a lot there. We're holding on to that optimism, because there's definitely a future in this crop. But the sector will have to evolve. Nothing stays the same. If things are going badly, that's okay. If things are going well, it's a bit more frustrating, but you always have to keep adapting to new circumstances. And for now, we're still really looking forward to the rest of the season, so we remain optimistic."
For more information:
Frans Schrijnwerkers
Blauwe Bessen Fam. Schrijnwerkers 
Oudsbergerweg 121
3670 Oudsbergen, Belgium
Tel +32 (0) 89 85 89 33
[email protected]
www.blauwebessen.be
