"The sales and the export of carrots is going well. We are currently only selling carrots from irrigated plots, as the non irrigated ones are not yet suitable for sale. At the moment we're dependent on the Netherlands, as there was much more irrigation there than in Belgium," says Frans Cool of Paul Cool. "There are growers who have 90 tonnes per hectare in turnover, but also growers who only have 40 tonnes. Yet I think that there will be more plots available in mid October for sale, however it is likely to remain exciting for a while."
Prices make up for it
According to the trader the quality of the carrots that were irrigated is very good. "The carrots are smooth, stout and straight and the sizes are good. Better than we had expected. There is danger lurking for the carrots that haven't been harvest yet, as mildew and white disease are playing up. Due to the diseases the carrots grow new leaves which slows growth. Those problems are occurring in both Belgium and the Netherlands," according to Frans. "The reasonably high prices do improve the situation. 25 cents for the free product, whilst the contract price is around 9 cents."
The growers in France and the north of Germany have also been affected by the weather. "Those who weren't able to irrigate here either are also later with their harvest. We see that more parties are becoming available every fourteen days. This will cause a slight decrease in the prices over the coming months. Yet the prices are expected to remain good compared to previous years. Especially if the export gets going. We don't have an oversupply so we hope we'll get a good year despite the dry weather."
For more information:
Frans Cool
Paul Cool
Bevrijdingslaan 204
9200 Appels
+32(0)52 2154 46