“The previous tomato season has been very mediocre. We experienced long periods with low prices even for the specialties. The market now seems to have recovered and the prices for tomatoes are better than before”, we are told by Benny Cuypers of BelOrta. “The tomatoes are starting to get competition from the South. The first shipment has already arrived and the volume will only increase. A few weeks back there was word that the products from Spain would arrive later, but this proved not the case.”
Cucumbers
The cucumber season is coming to an end. “Cucumbers, in comparison to other greenhouse vegetables, have had a good year. The price was strong and the growers will definitely be happy with this season”, says Benny. “Last year the cucumbers had a very hard time so it is a good thing that this year was more positive.”
Eggplants
As a result of the competition from the South, the eggplant season has had a difficult start. “After this the market has recovered, but the eggplants have had a difficult period in the summer as well. Thanks to the heat there was a lot of product which drove down the price”, so says Cuypers. “The demand for eggplants drops as well during the warm summer because eggplants are not eaten as much when it's warm. The price has recovered in fall but when looking at the season as a whole it has been mediocre. We still have about three or four weeks till the season ends.”
Bell peppers
Bell peppers have had a pretty rough start this season and will continue till mid-November when the season will end. At the start of the season the prices were low, but this has since then recovered and after that the price has been reasonable. The peppers, like the other greenhouse vegetables, did not get troubled by the heat and drought that much in the past summer. “Generally speaking, besides from the cucumbers, it has been a tough greenhouse vegetable season. The heat caused a rise in production which caused a drop in the price. At the moment everything is back to the way it was and we are expecting a normal end of the season”, says Benny.
For more information:
Benny Cuypers
BelOrta
Mechelsesteenweg 120
B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver
+32(0)155 655 291
verkoop@belorta.be
www.belorta.be