"Difficult start to Dutch bell pepper season due to large domestic and Spanish production"

There was a slight increase in the acreage used to cultivate bell peppers in the Netherlands. Marco, however, does not regard this as the main reason for the difficult market. "The higher yield per square meter has more influence than the extra hectares. The growth in acreage was also not much more than other seasons. You could say that, in general, the supply and demand are no longer in balance. The beginning of the Dutch season was bad for all the colours. Green and yellow bell peppers got the worst of it", says this bell pepper trader.

"Dutch bell peppers are currently in demand in the Western European countries and Scandinavia. It also seems that demand from Eastern Europe is picking up. Foreign sales are not yet up", says Marco. When asked about his expectation for the upcoming period, he answered, "We expect there to be less of our own and Spanish product on the market. The Almeria variety's season is almost up. In contrast, the production of the Murcia has only just started."