Belgium produces more than 2.1 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year, and significant investments in tomatoes and strawberries have led to a number of successes. France may be Belgium’s biggest export market, but firms are fine-tuning their operations in preparation for gains further afield.
REO, a fresh produce co-operative and one of the largest auctions in Belgium, markets some 60 different types of fruits and vegetables. Dominiek Keersebilck of REO is convinced that both the UK retail and foodservice sectors offer areas for growth.
“REO’s main advantage is that our growers have a large range of products that would be interesting for the UK market,” he says. “As an auction, REO does not ship to the UK, but what we are seeing is that Belgian exporters are working more closely with their UK clients.”
Vanco has exported to the UK for the last three years, and is confident new opportunities will be discovered. “The potential is enormous,” says Bruno van Vaerenbergh, UK sales manager.
“It is about having the right contacts and talking to the right people. This applies to both producers and customers. We believe in strong relations based on trust and it takes time to get there, but we are patient. We believe the customers we are serving are satisfied. We are flexible and are always ready to help if we feel our customer is right.”
However, Vanco does acknowledge that the UK is a very competitive market. “There are many Belgian exporters in it already, leaving almost no space for new ones to come in,” van Vaerenbergh says. “But as far as we are concerned, we believe it is worth the effort and money.”
Vanco exports a wide range of Belgian fresh produce and its main lines are Conference pears, Cox apples, strawberries, leeks, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes and lettuce.
Van Vaerenbergh visited the UK in late March and feels that producers should only supply the very best they have to offer. “We saw a lot of mediocre fruit and vegetables being sold in late March, and sometimes find it hard to believe it actually gets sold,” he says.
In such a competitive market, where dealing with perishables can often throw up challenges, van Vaerenbergh says having good relationships is key. “Problems sometimes do occur and we therefore prefer to focus more on quality rather than quantity,” he says.
Though van Vaerenbergh does not anticipate much change in varieties and products this year, some packaging and brands may see an overhaul. “Strawberries, for example, will also come in cardboard cartons this year, next to the normal wooden boxes we have been working with for years,” he tells FPJ.
One of the challenges for Belgium exporters this season is adjusting to the value of the sterling. “We hope to be able to supply the same amounts this year as we have done last year, taking into consideration that the prices for our customers will seem more expensive,” van Vaerenbergh says.
Haspengouw-based firm Bel’Export primarily supplies Jonagold and Jonagored apples and Conference pears to the UK, and is cautiously optimistic that exports to the UK will continue rising. “Conference pears are our main export to the UK and we have the exclusive rights to the early variety, Corina, which will start again in August,” says the company’s Koen Vanherck. “We will have 430,000kg of Corina pears this season and this variety really helps to extend our pear deal.”
Bel’Export handles some 40,000 tonnes of fresh produce a year and supplies under the brands Bel’ de Looz and Bel’ de Looz Superieure. As well as top fruit, Bel’ Export also supplies strawberries and cherries throughout Europe and has high hopes for newer cherry varieties such as Regina and Cordia.
Not content with trotting out the same old varieties, the Belgian sector knows that to get ahead in the competitive global market, evolution is key.
Tomatoes generate significant revenues for the Belgian fresh produce industry and, in March this year, the quality label Flandria launched new variety Zouk into its Prince loose tomato segment.
Zouk is available until the end of December and will be grown by nine growers on a total surface area of 11 hectares, says Leen Guffens of Vlam, Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board. Some 110ha will be devoted to the Prince segment, while Admiro is another variety that is incorporated in this line. However, Guffens acknowledges that Flandria’s Baron beef tomatoes tend to fare better in the UK.
New varieties are constantly being evaluated and Guffens says the vegetable research stations in Sint-Katelijne-Waver and Meerle conduct a wide range of trials. The best tomatoes are tested by taste panels in the research station in Kruishoutem and varieties are also tested at the Flanders’ Centre of post-harvest technology at the University of Leuven. As well as taste, tomatoes are also assessed for shelf life, brix levels and the hardiness of the fruit.
Producers growing under the Flandria label have devoted 14ha of land to tomato specialties including Kumato, the infamous brown tomato, and Ti Amo, an elegant clustered tomato.
Guffens is optimistic that the products coming under Flandria Speciality Street will find favour in the UK. Flandria introduced the new line last season to showcase Belgium’s most innovative fresh produce varieties. Ministar Lyco Plus and Cherrystar tomatoes, red spinach and yellow turnips all come under the Speciality Street umbrella.
Almost 60 products are sold under the Flandria label and this year as rocket and spinach have been added to the quality range this number will grow. Flandria is hoping to target the foodservice and fresh prepared markets with these products. Both are grown by producers that supply auctions REO and Mechelse Veilingen.
Rocket is being grown on small acreages, initially under glass and plastic, with a season that is expected to run until November.
Spinach was launched in March, but volumes are expected to run between April and August and, as well as the traditional green varieties, Flandria will also be supplying red leaves.
Although the Netherlands is Belgium’s main competitor, Guffens argues there are marked differences between what the two countries offer. “The Netherlands is more specialised in small round tomatoes, while Belgian producers have chosen to grow beef tomatoes,” she says, although she acknowledges that there are more similarities for tomatoes on the vine.
In terms of fruit strong demand for berries has boosted the Belgian strawberry sector. Although the number of growers is on the wane, production is rising.
“Year after year, our producers are becoming ever more specialised in producing high-quality strawberries and using different types of packaging,” Keersebilck says. “We are expecting a good season, with production set to peak in May.”
REO claims it was the first auction to sell strawberries in Belgium this year, with first volumes of the Clery variety delivered on February 22.
Elsanta will account for roughly half of REO’s strawberries this year, followed by Tomabel with a 35 per cent market share, and Darselect with 10 per cent.
“The UK is a very important market for our strawberries and we hope demand will grow,” Keersebilck says.
Veiling Hoogstraten, which is celebrating its 75th birthday this year and claims to handle some 56 per cent of the Belgian crop, sold more than 21,300t of strawberries in 2007, and is confident of further growth this year.
According to the auction, strawberry production in the Northern Kempen has been transformed and Belgium now counts the UK, the Netherlands and Poland as its main producing rivals. Veiling Hoogstraten receives strawberries from early March with the season running to the end of January. During those 10 months, berries are grown in heated and unheated glasshouses, plastic tunnels, mini-tunnels and in the open air.
Although it is difficult to compete against Germany when its strawberry season peaks, Guffens claims Belgium has a better spread of production during the year, thanks to significant covered production.
As growers begin harvesting their new crops, some are waiting to see what impact the wettest March ever will have on production. Cauliflower production normally peaks around week 20 to 22, but Guffens says much will depend on the weather in April to see how production will pan out.
“It is important to keep in mind that production may not be so spread out and that there could be a bigger peak than usual,” she tells FPJ.
The asparagus season could also be slightly shorter this season, with a later start and winding down in the last week of June. However, Guffens says volumes are expected to be similar to normal.
Not content with having just included rocket and spinach to the Flandria range, rhubarb and curly endive are also getting in on the act. Rhubarb is available from the end of March until September, with the crop peaking from April to June. Curly endive volumes peak during the May to July period, but as it is produced both in the open air and in glasshouses, Guffens says Flandria will be offering curly endive throughout most of the year.
As the Belgian fresh produce industry continues evolving, size could become a bigger issue in the future. Van Vaerenbergh says that larger companies are investing significantly in “big projects” including large glasshouses, and it could be difficult for the smaller producers to compete.
But with exporters placing their trust in high-quality fresh produce, the sector is banking on continued growth.
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