"Few and expensive," is how Sjan van Gorsel of chicory packer Reijnpack from Sint-Philipsland succinctly sums up the chicory market. "But in that sense there is nothing new under the sun, because we've been dealing with that all year. For now, we have just enough product to deliver to our customers and before the new harvest arrives, you'll soon be in mid-November anyway. Until then, the supply will remain limited."
"There are also shortages in France, leading to good market demand. We export a lot of chicory to Italy, but countries like Germany and Switzerland are also doing well, supplemented by demand on the domestic market. Prices of bare chicory are between €2.80 and €3. Fortunately, the quality of the chicory is good," says Sjan.
Reijnpack mainly sells chicory packed on trays and in the flow pack, while red chicory, on the other hand, is largely sold loose. "But sales of red chicory are poor at the moment. All year, those sales have been good, but in the last month, demand has dropped considerably. We didn't even put up red-leaf for a few weeks because there was so little demand. The price is still holding up reasonably well at €6-7, but the volumes are not there."
The current season will also have its impact on the new season, the chicory packer expects. "There has been more chicory sowing, but the quality in the field isn't great either. And everyone has shortages. Normally we continue old chicory until the end of December, now the first ones already start at the end of October. That makes the season a lot longer."
For more information:
Sjan van Gorsel
Reijnpack
Kwekerijweg 8
4675 PZ Sint-Philipsland
Tel: 0167-573148
[email protected]
www.reijnpack.nl