Export organic field vegetables starts later
In the Netherlands and the surrounding countries the harvest results in open field vegetables are quite high across the board
Export organic vegetables starts later
In the Netherlands and the surrounding countries the harvest results in open field vegetables (certainly in comparison with the previous season) are quite high across the board. It will therefore be a challenge to properly sell all product groups.Therefore organic growers can make the distinction this year on quality and storage.
Bioport works together with a fixed group of organic growers from the Netherlands and Belgium, and directly from grower to customer, whereby the products are packaged according to the customer’s specifications and the transport is fully completed. It is a service where both buyer and grower are taken care of as much as possible. Bioport is mainly active in the area of wholesalers, industrial processors, vegetable package companies and packers for supermarkets within the European member states.
Export starts slower
The harvest results for 2017-2018 in the field vegetables are high in the Netherlands across the board. The sizes of many products are larger in comparison with the previous season and the yields for each hectare are very good this year. Because The Netherlands is not the only country in Europe that the grows are good, it will certainly become a challenge to sell all product groups properly. Fortunately, most organic growers are well equipped to keep their products for a long time.
This year growers will be able to make the difference on quality, in order to be able to work with their products for as long as possible.
This clearly differs from the previous season this season. Then the export came a little earlier and could be inserted higher in terms of pricing. That is exactly what makes the fruit and vegetable sector so interesting and dynamic. It is always a combination of harvest results and price. This relates – especially for the Netherlands – to the surrounding countries. The Netherlands has traditionally been strongly focused on the export of fresh produce, which certainly also applies to organic vegetables.
Different sales opportunities
The sales opportunities differ greatly per product and per moment.Kale was two years ago a hype within a short time, so the demand in several countries was higher than the production. That then coincided nicely with a high production in the Netherlands, which could be used for export. Last year that was much less the case, because the local organic growers had anticipated on this with the expansion of their kale area.Due to the short –lived snowfall in December more kale was exported this year.Dutch growers were being able to keep the quality of the product more acceptable for some time in order to extend the sales.Kale is typically a product group where you can make the difference with a combination of programmed volume and loose sales. With this season in mind, we hope to be able to realize this again for the coming growing season.
Yacon hype in Belgium
The organic yacon is an interesting and unique new vegetable.The necessary developments are expected in the coming years from that crop.Biologische Tuinderij De Waog in Limburg, has made a strong case in recent years to achieve good yacon production and associated sales.They did that well, with which they also managed to realize a piece of continuity. More and more customers are discovering yacon to be able to offer something completely new to their customers once again. In Belgium, for example, yacon was still prominently in the news last December.
Troublesome season for root crops
A product such like parsnip grows strongly in acreage every year.With this, the vegetable seems to have gone beyond the label ‘forgotten’. In terms of quality it is a difficult season, as it seems to apply to all types of carrots. Also with the ‘normal’ orange organic carrot you can see it too and aswell for the root parsley the results are very bad this year. Specialists have indicated that the combination of the dry period in early summer and the wet autumn is the cause of this.
Pumpkin exciting product
Pumpkin cultivation also deserves a special mention. Last year a ‘scarce’ product, now with very good results still an exciting product when it comes to realizing sales.The demand is slowly starting to raise, normally that raising moment is more than a month earlier. There was a shortage of seeds this year. As a result, more organic growers have put the Amoro variety, which yields higher tonnages, but performs worse in storage and is less valued by the consumer. It is not inconceivable for growers to step up from there in the coming seasons.
Striking growth within industry
The large yields of many organic products and the subsequent price pressure may, however it gives the fresh market the necessary challenges, but these developments offer the processing industry opportunities again. For the moment the industry seems to be doubling as fast as the fresh market in percentages. This stems from the fact that companies have subscribed to their stocks last season. Due to the lower availability and the higher prices of organic products, they have also installed less stock. But at the same time they see that the consumption of organic soups, juices, sliced fruit and vegetables in the market is still growing.
Favorable starting position
Despite changing seasons, market shifts and strong expansion of the area in the main markets, the Dutch organic open-air vegetable sector still has a very favorable starting position. In terms of yield, quality and storage, the Dutch organic growers have built a strong lead .Over the past 15 years we have invested heavily in high-quality and innovative storage. They continue to stand out with their products. Demeter crops grow in acreage, growers come up with special products and respond even more to the specific wishes of customers in terms of packaging, size and continuity.