The market for Belgian vegetables is much calmer now that most of the greenhouse vegetables have left the market again. Some lettuce and tomatoes are still present, but the other vegetables currently come from Spain. The share of outdoor vegetables is also decreasing, now that winter is coming. “We mostly have leeks, celeriac, sprouts and various types of cabbage in Belgium right now. Cauliflower is also still on the market. There is even a small volume of greenhouse cauliflower available. These are sold for good prices, between 2 and 3 euro per cauliflower,” a Belgian trader explains.
Difference between vine and loose tomatoes smaller
“Prices for tomatoes are not incredibly high for the time of year. Until last week, the difference in price between vine and loose was very big, but it has become smaller by now. Last week Monday, prices for vine were between 1.20 and 1.25, and on 30 November, they were at 1.10 euro. Loose tomatoes cost 70 cents for a while, but they are currently being sold for about 90 cents. Supply is slightly smaller now. The difference between these two has become a bit smaller.”
Lettuce, chicory, sprouts
He indicates that prices for lettuce are around 40 cents. “The alternative types of lettuce are doing even better, with prices up to 60 cents. That is quite something. Chicory prices are currently 1.25 euro, which is also quite good. I expect prices will decrease somewhat, when volumes start increasing in the coming weeks.” Manually cleaned sprouts are a niche market and a speciality in Belgium. “You no longer see these in the Netherlands, but here, they are still being cleaned by hand. Until a month ago, prices were around 5 euro, but that has halved by now. Still not bad, though.”
