“Best year for cauliflowers so far”

“I did not have to use my phone often this year, because customers tended to call me,” says cauliflower cultivator Ton Slagter of the Firma P.N. Slagter from Andijk, the Netherlands. “We are only halfway through our cultivation, but up till August this has been the best year for cauliflowers so far. A truly superb season.”

“There were lots of problems to start with. Early in the season we had too many cauliflowers, and they were a bit too cheap on occasion, but we did manage to sell them all. We actually never had cauliflowers in store and that is important, because a true cauliflower boom could cause problems if it continued for five weeks in a row,” says Slagter. “Besides, we had a lot of rain in Limburg, Belgium and Germany, and moreover, the German output was smaller than usual. All of this turned out positively for the market, but it is no guarantee at all. Next year we might do everything exactly the same but the result could be completely different.”

“The majority of Dutch cauliflower is destined for the local market, but because we often have a surplus, we also have to export during certain periods. For example, two weeks ago prices were between 1.30 and 1.40 euro, but nearly all of the cauliflowers were exported to Germany for supermarket promotions. If you ask for half the price during the season, you will be too expensive, but when you have promotions, that does not matter. That is just the way it is. We have less supply now, but demand is also slightly less. Prices have now dropped slightly, but they are still acceptable. Supply will dry up in the next ten days, so I expect prices will stabilise.”

Once again Firma Slagter tried the cultivation of orange and purple cauliflower, but, according to Slagter, sales remain tricky. “People definitely ask for them, but when you have them, no one wants to buy them. You can never be certain with them. However, sales of green cauliflower and romanesco are doing much better.”