In recent years the supply and acreage of cucumbers at BelOrta has significantly increased. 80% of all the cucumbers that are supplied to Belgium come from 50 BelOrta growers. According to Jo Lambrecht, BelOrta's commercial manager, they had 345 cucumber producing acres in 2006, "In 2015, this jumped to 494 acres. From 2006 to 2015 supply rose from 50 million units per year to 120 million units per year. In terms of cucumbers we have the largest market share in Belgium."
41% more in 2015
The biggest increase took place in 2015. There was 41% more volume in 2015 than there was in 2014, "The share of the cultivated area grew again by 9% compared to 2015. Over the coming years we expect further growth with both our Belgian and Dutch growers," says the commercial manager. "75% of these vegetables are intended for export." The cucumber comes in second place in the top ten vegetables at auction.
First cucumbers
The first cucumbers of 2016 were sold on Friday, January 22nd. These cucumbers were brought in 8 boxes each weighing 400 grams. The first cucumbers went to Fruithal Laenen in Zoersel, Belgium. Cucumbers are available at BelOrta year round, with the exception of December. Most of the supply comes between the months of May and August. BelOrta cucumbers are grown according to the sustainable and environmentally friendly Flandria standards. BelOrta offers diverse packaging options and various sales systems in order to serve the market as best as possible.
