Greenhouse vegetables are doing well in Belgium. The newest cultivation techniques, with extension of the lighted winter cultivation, good sales at the auction, and thanks to the central location in Europe, a large market for fresh vegetables, clearly are a success formula. In 2019, this is reflected in the growth figures for all fruit vegetables offered on the LAVA auctions: BelOrta, Coöperatie Hoogstraten and REO Veiling.
Tomatoes solidify lead
The total tomato production has seen a remarkable growth, an increase of 50 hectare. This evolution can partly be ascribed to the fact that the auctions also draw producers from over the Belgian border. The area of the lighted tomato cultivation is also increased with 7 hectare. The area extension, in combination with the increased winter production, leads to a significant increase of the tomato supply on the Belgian auctions.
In the regular tomatoes, the Flandria-segment Baron again climbs to the first place with an expected production of 56,000 tons. Prince tomatoes drop to the second place with an expected supply of 41,000 tons.
With the tomatoes-on-the-vine, the Flandria Princess tomatoes remain the number one with an expected supply of 49,000 tons in 2019, followed by Flandria Elite tomatoes with 30,000 tons.
Tomato specialties follow, for cultivation area, in the third place, for both regular and tomatoes-on-the vine. This year, a staggering 135.4 hectare, or 24% of the tomato production, is used for the production of specialties. This is an increase of 18 hectare with regard to 2018. This growth is in line with the popularity of tomato specialties, and then particularly the cherry tomatoes. In Belgium, cherry tomatoes have already become the most important segment in the tomato cultivation, with 40% of the turnover.
Cucumbers and lettuce also available in the winter
The cucumber cultivation has also seen an area extension this year, of 22.7 hectare. In volume, the auctions together expect to supply 177,000 tons Flandria cucumbers, a growth of 11%.
The cucumber production.
The cucumber production moreover follows the tomato cultivation with a first supply of winter cucumbers thanks to a lighted cultivation. The area of this first winter cultivation for cucumbers was limited, but was appreciated by the retailers.
The total lettuce production under glass saw its area reduced this year, in which particularly cabbage lettuce had to give way (-6.8%). Also for the lettuce varieties, the producers invest in innovation and spreading during the season. The trend towards lighted lettuce cultivation, particularly for the multi-color varieties, and production on mobile gutters continues.
Stable supply of bell peppers expected
The Flandria auctions expect a bell pepper supply of 47,000 tons. This total bell pepper volume is stable with regard to 2018, in spite of an area extension of 9.2 hectare. This can partly be ascribed to a doubling of the sweet pointed bell pepper to a supply of 2,900 tons, in which this variety has a lower production per area. There are also some shifts within the traditional bell pepper assortment. An increase of 20% in the supply of green bell peppers is expected, 14,000 tons. This is at the expense of red bell peppers, which see their supply go down by 14%. Red still remains in the lead in the Flandria Assortment with a supply of just under 20,000 tons. The yellow variant follows in third place with 9,000 tons, and sees a slight increase of 2%. And orange bell peppers with hardly 1,000 tons.
Eggplants and courgettes follow growth curve
The southern fruit vegetables courgettes and aubergines are viewed by the consumer as modern, and do well in the kitchen. Courgettes under glass see their area grow with 6.2 hectare to 83 hectare and also the area for the production of Flandria eggplants sees a small increase to 2.4 hectare.
This article was previously issued in edition 4, volume 33 of magazine AGF Primeur. See www.agfprimeur.nl.