Organic is booming, also in Belgium. More and more consumers are buying organic vegetables and fruit. To keep on supplying this growing market, both Ecodal and Hamerlinck LV grow organic greenhouse vegetables for the Belgium market. Ecodal has 4 hectare on which the entire range of products is grown, while Hamerlinck focuses on the regular organic greenhouse vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Krist Hamerlinck: "In Belgium the market for all organic greenhouse vegetables is growing." Hamerlinck supplies organic greenhouse cucumbers through related sales organisation Eco Veg since the end of February, and eggplants, bell peppers and tomatoes will be added around half March.
All kinds of organic vegetables are processed in the packaging hall of Eco Veg
Tomatoes
Especially in the segment of organic tomatoes Hamerlinck notices a growing demand for specialty tomatoes such as Coeur de Boeuf and mini prune tomatoes. But the demand has not only risen for smaller, special varieties. "Demand for roma tomatoes is growing fast." Competing with Spain is particularly difficult in the field of the smaller tomatoes. Hamerlinck does state the quality of freshly harvested vegetables in the Netherlands and Belgium is much better than the half ripe imported tomatoes from Spain.
Locally grown
Hamerlinck: "The Belgium consumer has a clear preference for locally grown Belgium greenhouse vegetables." In comparison, the Dutch consumer is just as happy with an imported Spanish product. Hamerlinck grows greenhouse vegetables on 28 hectares totally, of which 23 are spread over the Netherlands and Belgium, and 5 hectares in Mexico. "In Mexico we can grow all year round because of the beneficial climate."
To meet the growing demand for local products in Belgium, Hamerlinck is looking for locations to expand. "About 80 percent of our Belgium production really ends up on the plates of the Belgium consumer." In the Netherlands that main part of production goes to countries such as England and also to Scandinavia. Hamerlinck is looking for locations in these countries to expand the production of organic greenhouse vegetables. "By growing organic greenhouse vegetables in these countries, we can meet the demand for local organic products."
Warm and cold growth
Krist Hamerlinck is focusing on growing the regular warm organic greenhouse vegetables, Francis Kestemont, Ecodal, grows "the entire range." Ecodal does so on 4 hectares close to Brussels. Ecodal is, besides a nursery, mainly a sales organisation that sells products of other growers next to their own products. Kestemont: "We have both warm growth such as tomatoes and cucumbers and cold growths such as various varieties of lettuce, like cabbage lettuce and oak leaf lettuce. We have different greenhouses for different purposes, with tube rail heating or hot air heating."
Warm and cold growth
Krist Hamerlinck is focusing on growing the regular warm organic greenhouse vegetables, Francis Kestemont, Ecodal, grows "the entire range." Ecodal does so on 4 hectares close to Brussels. Ecodal is, besides a nursery, mainly a sales organisation that sells products of other growers next to their own products. Kestemont: "We have both warm growth such as tomatoes and cucumbers and cold growths such as various varieties of lettuce, like cabbage lettuce and oak leaf lettuce. We have different greenhouses for different purposes, with tube rail heating or hot air heating."
Ecodal also grows organic vegetables in the ground
Kestemont sees a shift from warm growth towards cold growth. "The golden years of organic fruiting vegetables are behind us. There are no more shortages because of the increased production in Spain and Italy, and prices have suffered accordingly. Growing organic greenhouse vegetables in the south is simply much cheaper because of the significantly lower energy costs."
In general, Kestemont sees less warm growth and more cold growth in the organic greenhouse vegetable segment. As a result of some setbacks in 2017, Ecodal has adjusted the growth plan. "We only grow fruiting vegetables when we have sales assurances. We do not grow tomatoes anymore for the free market. Our tomato growth has been reduced from 2.2 hectares in 2017 to 1.2 hectares in 2018."
Ecodal's greenhouse
Trending vegetables
The organic greenhouse vegetables Ecodal sells are increasingly going to the local market. Particularly Brussels is a good market for Ecodal, followed at some distance by the Walloon provinces and Flanders. Kestemont: "Our biggest customers are organic supermarket formulas, other stores, and processors. We sell a very small portion to individual customers around the corner who love our greenhouse vegetables."
Hamerlinck mostly sees a rising demand for specialty tomatoes, Kestemont thinks the sweet potato is the real trending vegetable. In 2018 Ecodal uses 0.5 hectares for growing sweet potatoes, partly under glass, but also in tunnels and in the ground. "The product remains the same in all cases, but by growing in greenhouses we extend our harvest season."
This article appeared before in edition 3, 32nd volume of Primeur. See www.agfprimeur.nl.
For more information:
Ecodal
www.ecodal.eu
francis@ecodal.eu
Eco Veg bvba
www.hamerlincklv.be
krist@ecoveg.be