It may be a mild winter, but curly kale sales are going well. "They are not disappointing at all. You would think, with these temperatures, there would be fewer sales. But, the demand from both supermarkets and the export market is good," says Mike Glas of Glas-Groenten. This company is based in Broek op Langedijk, the Netherlands. "Curly kales prices remain fairly stable. Those are mostly the same every year. There is very little excitement."
"Growers did have trouble with harvesting because of the rain. This was certainly the case with the clay soil. I think there is less curly kale left over than last season. Back then, many farmers milled a few hectares due to a lack of demand. This year, however, supermarkets are buying a lot," says Mike. "The same is true for washed carrots. We never usually do so much in the winter. But there were several marketing campaigns this winter. These went remarkably well."
"We have also seen good sales and stable prices for Brussels sprouts. Many are part of contracts. But, out there, average prices have been stable for weeks now. These prices have also been at a reasonable level. There were somewhat quieter times. Many Brussels sprouts have, however, been on sale in the supermarkets in recent weeks. There was rain followed by a little night frost. That did create the necessary challenges with quality this season," Mike concludes.
