Part of the Belgian greenhouse vegetable market is currently in a slump. Tomato growers are suffering the impact of low prices and lettuce also yields very little. "As for cucumbers, last week there was some shortage in the Belgian auctions, as there was a lower supply from the Netherlands. Currently the price is normal. Peppers are doing just fine, especially the green ones. For aubergines the situation is variable and courgettes have so far done fairly well," explains a Belgian trader. He stressed how poor the prices are with some examples: "For the price of one courgette, you can buy a kilo of tomatoes, and for the price of a kilo of tomatoes, you buy three giant heads of lettuce."
Tomatoes
"Tomato prices stand around 20 cents per kilo. This is an extremely low price for this time of year. Growers should be making a profit by now and they are actually selling for prices below the production costs. There is yet no summer weather, so demand is not great. Prices have hit rock bottom for several weeks, so the auction has since decided to destroy class I tomatoes to protect the market. Only the best quality is still sold, but even those yield very little. When it comes to specialties, prices are higher than those of 'regular' tomatoes, but they have also recorded significant declines. These producers have higher production costs, but they are earning less than before. The whole tomato sector is suffering."
Lettuce
"With lettuce, things went well for a while, but now it's just like with tomatoes: catastrophic. 8 cents is the price for a nice big head of lettuce. The price had peaked at around 60 cents, but on Monday it dropped below the 10 cents."
Cucumbers
"Cucumber prices were just as high last week, still at around 60 cents, but they have now dropped slightly, fluctuating to a level close to 45 cents for the 400-gram pieces. This is a normal price. Last week, there was less volume on the market, as the supply from Dutch producers was reduced. Given that a lot of Flandria cucumbers come from the Netherlands, this also had a significant impact on prices.
Peppers
"Pepper prices are good and the green ones cost between 1.80 and 2 Euro. I can see a decline coming this week, but for now they remain at a good level because production is not very high. The red and yellow cost about 1 Euro."
Aubergines
"As for the aubergine market, the current situation is exceptional. Today (1 June), they reached 90 cents, while last week they still stood at about 50 cents. I expect that they will fluctuate at the end of the week between 70 and 75 cents."
Courgettes
"Until last week, it was going pretty well for courgettes. Prices have stood at around 35 cents per piece, but on 1 June, they were sold for 25 cents in Mechelen and for 20 cents in Roeselare."
