Belgian auction Mechelse Veilingen has recorded an increase in turnover of 24 per cent in the first quarter of the fiscal year compared with the same period in 2009, Fruchthandel has reported.
The auction has put this result down to higher production volumes and better price levels compared with the year before.
Mechelse Veilingen has also seen an increase in membership from Dutch businesses, which it states has positively affected sales.
Dutch producer union Best of Four, which was created out of the merger of producer associations Tradition, Westveg, Unistar and Brassica, has played an important role.
On a daily basis, Best of Four delivers peppers and cucumbers from North Brabant to Mechelse Veilingen in Sint Katelijne Waver.
As a result, the auction has succeeded in doubling its shipments of cucumbers compared with the year-earlier period.
Closer collaboration with Dutch producer groups has also helped increase the area under cultivation by some 47 per cent, according to Fruchthandel.
