Greenhouse vegetable prices are skyrocketing. "Bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, cucumber. You name it, everything's expensive," says Geert Baecke of Tino's Fruit in Belgium. "We're anxiously awaiting Dutch and Belgian trade, but it's going to be a big problem getting products in the next few weeks."
In contrast, demand is excellent, according to the merchant. "With the nice weather, business on the coast is picking up, but there's simply far too little coming from the south. In December, Spain had good yields, of which little is left now. A kilo of vine tomatoes sold for €5 at auction yesterday. I've never experienced that before. Standard Belgian tomatoes, not even top quality, went for almost €4. If I have to pass that on to my customers, I'd have to charge €30. They'll think I'm crazy."
Things will, thus, remain difficult for this wholesaler for the next while. "It's wait and see until March. We have a greenhouse where we cultivate herbs; yesterday afternoon, it was 25°C in there. If that continues and the temperature keeps climbing, we'll soon have product coming in again," Geert explains.
"But, that won't be readily available; it needs time to grow. Things should start improving next month. It can hardly be otherwise. Still, growers must be careful not to send everything to market at once because then prices will soon plummet."
Fruit sales are, however, fairly stable. "There are no outliers in apples, pears, and oranges. Those prices are all good. Only strawberries, of course, are tricky. That situation is the same as greenhouse vegetables, with limited Dutch and Belgian supplies. Especially in Belgium, where strawberries went for almost €8," Geert concludes.
For more information:
Geert Baecke
Tino's Fruit
55-57 Sluis Street
8300, Knokke-Heist, BE
Tel.: +32 (0) 506 12 201
Email: geert@tinos.be
www.tinos.be