The situation in the asparagus market remains highly unpredictable at the moment. Strawberries and asparagus are usually available at this time of year in Flanders; however, the latter is somewhat lagging behind. "In the past two weeks, we have seen an increase in the supply, and this week it has fallen again. Things remain very unpredictable," says Benny Cuypers, from BelOrta.
"The main reason is the cold weather, which continues to prevent the production from fully kicking off. Thus, periods of high volumes quickly alternate with moments of limited supply. Also, consumption levels aren't optimal with this weather. People tend to prefer eating asparagus when it's warmer and sunny. It almost seems like the asparagus season has yet to fully kick off, despite it now being late April."
The trader is not worried that large volumes will hit the market at once as soon as the sun starts shining. "It will all depend on the weather conditions, but I don't think this will be a productive year either. April didn't bring the temperatures we had hoped for, and the production losses this caused won't be recovered. Many fields have been wet for a long time, and some have probably not even been used, so it would be surprising if we had a big production this year. The total supply is lower than in other years."
"Yet, there is always some demand during this period, because people know the product is now in season. This keeps prices on the higher side," says Benny. "The quality is also very good, so we still get demand from both domestic and foreign markets. The smaller sizes stay in the domestic market, and the larger ones (+22 and +28) are sold not just in Belgium, but especially also to Germany and France."
Fruit vegetables still to pick up pace
Besides asparagus, the campaign has also kicked off for Belgian fruit vegetables, but the weather also appears to have been causing some disruption here. "This week, we started with the larger volumes of red and yellow bell peppers. We are also working with cucumbers, eggplants and tomatoes."
"However, we see that the temperatures are still affecting them. For example, cucumber prices are somewhat moderate, as consumption falls with low temperatures. A similar situation is affecting other spring vegetables. Moreover, there's still some competition from Spain and Morocco, which is occasionally resulting in a crowded market. That supply is expected to gradually decrease next week, making more room for Belgian produce. There is still a long season ahead, so we expect sales to pick up in the coming months."
For more information:
Benny Cuypers
BelOrta
Mechelsesteenweg 120
B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
Tel.: +32 (0)15 55 11 11
[email protected]
www.belorta.be