Radish sales are currently at a low level. "Nothing unusual though, that's the case every year around this time," observes John Grootscholten of Daily Fresh Radish in Naaldwijk. "We've had a good summer, and a lot of light and nice weather usually go hand in hand with good radish consumption. Sales of loose radishes also went well, unlike last year. The bunch radish market was similar to other years."
© Daily Fresh Radish
"Now, in autumn, growth is still steady, but consumption is dropping, and as a result, the market is a bit flat during this period. By the way, we see this happen nine out of ten years. Only in exceptional cases, if, for instance, there's extreme rain or cold weather that reduces production among all Dutch growers, or if the German growing areas are flooded, you might still have a demand-driven market at this time of year," the radish grower says.
© Daily Fresh Radish
"Usually, the Germans switch back to Dutch and Italian radishes around 1 November. That's when their own outdoor radish season ends, and we see a bit more demand. The Germans don't ask for Dutch radishes at all in summer, but then we have enough consumption in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Nordic countries, so the market is often nicely balanced. In winter, we really depend on demand from Germany. After all, it's a market with over 80 million inhabitants, and unlike the Netherlands, the Germans are still real radish eaters."
© Daily Fresh Radish
According to John, an important development in the radish market is the growing demand for specialty products. "For example, sales of rainbow radishes, where red, white, and purple radishes are bunched together, are increasing. But red bunch radish remains a very stable market with established players," says John. The biggest challenge for cultivation, he adds, is strict regulations and rising costs. "Labour has become extremely expensive in the Netherlands, and the energy situation is also difficult to calculate in winter."
© Daily Fresh Radish
For more information:
Daily Fresh Radish
Hoge Geest 25
2671 LK Naaldwijk
John: +31 (0) 6 51 592838
Dennis: +31 (0) 6 54 244414
[email protected]
www.dailyfreshradish.nl
