Supplies of the large heavy fruit are set to rise by five per cent in what is being seen as a reversal of the trend towards smaller on-the-vine types over the past 15 ears.
“The advent of vine tomatoes has pushed traditional beef tomatoes into the background somewhat,” said a spokeswoman for the Lava auctions in Belgium. “Among Flandria growers this trend now seems to have been reversed: this year they planted five per cent more tomatoes for the Baron segment, the ultimate beef tomato. The proportion of vine tomatoes in the Flandria range will decrease by the same amount.”
As a result, Baron has become the largest segment in the Flandria tomato category and volume is forecast to top 70,000 tonnes this season. Meanwhile, beef tomato production outside Belgium continues to fall. “This is due tot the fact that growing beef tomatoes demands greater skill and specialisation,” said the Lava spokeswoman. “Both at the production and harvesting stages and in terms of grading and transport. Flandria Baron is a real family product with skills passed down from generation to generation and tomatoes graded at the farm according to diameter.”
This season the auctions are also introducing additional quality control measure to ensure the premium nature of their products. In June, July and August, for example, growers will have to comply with a strict requirement to harvest Flandria Baron three times a week to eliminate the possibility of over-ripe tomatoes in the chain from the outset and so reduce risk of puncture damage.
