The tomato market has been out of balance for weeks, "In October and November there was far too much supply on the market. Now the price is rising ever so slightly. Of course we are happy with every increase in price, but 3.50 Euro for cherry tomatoes is still not cost effective. This month the supply of tomatoes on the market will continue to be high," expects Ger Kingma from Hagé International.
Too much
"Spain planted considerably more cherry plum tomatoes. The Dutch and Belgian season lasted longer. In recent years Morocco sent a great deal to Russia, but that is no longer an export market due to the import ban, which has meant considerable volumes being sent to Western Europe instead. Furthermore, we have Turkish vine tomatoes on the market. The market has been disrupted in recent weeks due to the events in France and product is being transferred to the Netherlands," summarizes Ger. "All these things have resulted in far too many tomatoes on the market."
Light at the end of the tunnel
"Demand for tomatoes is good, but the balance between supply and demand is very fragile. The market can become unbalanced with the slightest disturbance, which we have seen in recent weeks. Although, there is a light at the end of the tunnel; I think that from January to March there will be less Spanish tomatoes on the market."
