The Belgian fresh produce sector has been quietly going about its day-to-day business for a number of years, achieving a good reputation but largely working under the radar. Even new products such as the Kumato - the infamous dark-brown tomato - and purple cauliflower have been introduced into new markets to only a small fanfare.
However, that could soon change as some producers have a number of exciting developments in place and are hoping to make a splash with their unusual products.
Consumers may still have to wait another few months before they get to sample the Belgian kiwiberry, but good progress is being made. The kiwiberry is the size of a grape and has thin, hairless skin. The fruit is already being grown in New Zealand, the US, Chile and a number of European countries, but fruit auction Profuco will be handling the kiwiberry deal in Belgium.
“We now have the largest kiwifruit plantations in Belgium and our aim is to bring this [mini] kiwifruit onto the market by autumn 2009,” says Koen Torfs, managing director of Profuco.
Belgian fresh produce growers are busy working on their existing lines and are hoping to make gains next year. This would make up for last year when, even though some fresh produce items sold well, the poor summer weather affected shipments.
Fruit exports to the UK rose from January to November 2008, reaching 91,662 tonnes. This represents a 16.1 per cent rise on the 78,982t achieved in the same period in 2007. The growth can largely be attributed to an increase in exotic fruit exports, which rose sharply to 58,567t, compared to 24,669t in 2007.
However, apple shipments fell from 18,400t to 5,046t during the January to November period last year. Pear exports to the UK dropped 15.8 per cent to 22,389t, from 26,593t during the same period in the previous year.
Belgian auction Veiling Borgloon handled around 23,000t of pears in 2008-09, up to mid-March, says the company’s Guy Goffings.“We expect all pears at Veiling Borgloon will be sold around the end of April or the first half of May,” he adds.
Goffings estimates that the quantities exported to the UK were about two-thirds of those exported during the 2007-08 season. However, due to the smaller crop,prices have been “very good”.
In contrast, apple prices have been disappointing despite the reducedcrop. This can be attributed to larger European volumes, in particularfrom Poland.
Indeed, a number of fruit shipments were down, including strawberries, peaches and cherries. “Last year was a strange year with a very bad summer that affected both production and consumption,” says Leen Guffens of Vlam.
Meanwhile, vegetable shipments to the UK showed a smaller rise compared to fruit, increasing 3.9 per cent to 37,838t between January and November 2008, compared to 36,419t achieved in the same period in 2007.
Cauliflower exports fell significantly, while the amount of chicory exported to the UK did not even reach a tonne. The chicory industry has already made it clear that it needs a good year, or some growers will be halting production. On a more positive note, sales of onions, celery and tomatoes made impressive gains.
Reo Veiling markets a wide range of fruit and vegetables and the auction’s Lut De Bruyne is optimistic about the upcoming strawberry season. Growers have increased their open-air acreage from 56 hectares to 60ha. Glasshouse area has risen from 34ha to 38ha.
Reo got off to an early start with strawberries and received its first load on February 23.
Veiling Hoogstraten sold its first strawberries on February 27, two days earlier than in 2008. High volumes, however, are not expected until early May. “This is quite late in comparison to 2008 due to the weather earlier this year, with the darkest February ever,” explains Veiling Hoogstraten’s commercial manager Jan Engelen. “We had approximately a third of the sunshine hours that we normally get at this time of year and this has delayed production somewhat.”
Elsanta remains the most popular strawberry variety, but De Bruyne is optimistic about the opportunities for Cléry. “This is a good-tasting berry that needs less light than some other varieties,” she tells FPJ.
She also makes the point that producers can supply strawberries over a longer period because of new production techniques, with the season running through until Christmas.
Packaging options will be increased this season and Reo growers can choose to either pack in wooden boxes or cartons with the Flandria label displayed on the outside.
Whether sales will be stronger than last season remains to be seen. “Strawberries are more expensive than other fruit and vegetables, and consumers may have some reservations before buying them,” De Bruyne tells FPJ.
Moreover, as British growers continue to increase their strawberry production, this could have a detrimental impact on Belgian business.
Indeed, Belgium’s strawberry exports to the UK from January to November 2008 decreased significantly, from 6,220t to 3,782t, compared to the same period the previous year.
However, Engelen says the willingness and capability of its growers to meet high retail standards such as Tesco Nature’s Choice will allow it to keep competing at a top quality level in the years to come. “Veiling Hoogstraten is able to provide high-quality strawberries for an extended period of time at high volumes and that makes us quite unique,” he adds.
Engelen says the 2008 strawberry season was a fairly good one for both customers and growers. “We had steady supplies throughout the season and this provided stable and good prices as quality remained high,” he explains.
Vegetables generate significant revenues for Belgium. However, similar to Dutch producers, Belgian growers lamented the poor prices achieved for cucumbers last year. Bell pepper and tomatoes prices fared better and Engelen is hoping for higher prices this year.
De Bruyne points out that some categories did better than others in 2008. “You have to make a distinction between loose tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine,” she explains. “For tomatoes on the vine, supply was steady and prices were a little bit better. For loose tomatoes, there was a 10 per cent drop in supply and, in agreement with other auctions, tomatoes of a lower quality were taken out of the market.”
Veiling Hoogstraten reported stable exports to the UK for most of 2008, but the devaluation of sterling late last year resulted in exports to the market declining considerably. “Currency issues do have their effects on exports, so we hope to see sterling stabilising in the year to come,” Engelen says.
Insiders remain divided as to how Belgian vegetable exports to the UK will fare this season. Fears about the worldwide financial crisis, coupled with the weak sterling, remain key concerns. “Normally, there are a lot of exports to the UK and Sweden, but because of the currency problems it will be very difficult,” De Bruyne says. “If the situation does not change quickly, exports to the UK will be hard.”
However, despite disappointing summer prices last year, courgettes are a highlight for Reo. Since 2007, courgettes have become one of its top 10 products. “One of our producers is also delivering courgette flowers, so not only do they taste very good, but they also look nice,” De Bruyne says. “For this year, we expect an even bigger supply of courgettes, especially from May to June.”
In addition, Belgian leeks made a positive impact during the winter. According to De Bruyne, growers in the Roeselare area only suffered one night of -12°C temperatures, while other areas in Belgium and the Netherlands endured temperatures that dropped as low as -20ºC for three to four nights.
“West Flanders was the only region in Europe that could supply reasonable quantities of good-quality leeks and this resulted in high prices,” De Bruyne says. “Growers worked hard to get the leeks to the market.”
In terms of other vegetables, mushrooms and chicory are two products that could come under pressure. The UK normally imports significant quantities of Belgian mushrooms, but De Bruyne says that importers are turning towards Polish imports as they can be brought in more cheaply, despite transport times being longer.
Despite these challenges, the Belgian auctions are preparing to overcome these obstacles and some have a number of impressive tools at their disposal. De Bruyne says some of Reo’s producers are looking at new products such as multicolour salads, while others are expanding their operations of scale to gain more volume and a lower cost price.
The challenges facing Belgium are similar to those experienced by all north European growers. “Gas and oil prices have increased production costs considerably, putting severe pressure on our growers,” Engelen says.
In addition, there has been a slight decrease in the number of growers in the sector over the last few years. Veiling Hoogstraten’s Bram Vandecruys says that some of the smaller growers are retiring and young blood is not replacing them. However, he makes the point that newer, larger-scale growers are emerging with modern, professional farms. In addition, surface area is increasing for both strawberries and tomatoes.
“If weather conditions allow steady production and demand keeps rising, we hope to face our challenges successfully and to seize the opportunities that arise,” Vandecruys says.
Indeed, the auction has a strategy in place to safeguard its future and the creation of In-Co is the first step in this strategy. In-Co represents Veiling Hoogstraten’s close partnership with two other Belgian auctions, enabling the parties involved to consolidate in their existing markets and provide support for new products. One of those new products will be the kiwiberry.
Belgian growers enjoy a solid reputation for producing high-quality product. And with more auctions such as Reo and Hoogstraten responding further to consumer demands and market conditions, the future for the sector remains bright.
