Due to extremely low vegetable prices, sales at Belgian auction Mechelse Veilingen fell by 13 per cent in the first half of 2009, according to director Jos van Dessel.
This despite an encouraging first three months of the year, with revenue climbing by 22 per cent in January, 20 per cent in February and 7 per cent in March.
The auction attributes the overall drop to the last two months of the first half of 2009. In May, revenue was €7.4m less than in 2008, while June brought in €7.6m less than the year before.
According to Mr Van Dessel, prices for cucumbers are currently down by around 15 per cent, while prices for peppers are down by approximately 50 per cent.
