Asian vegetables have been growing through the roof lately according to Cees Visser, of the company Asian Crop, from Velden. "We have not had an actual winter this year; we were able to start very early with our own harvest and did not need vegetables from Spain for long. This was true for every grower, and due to the fact that the harvest in Spain continued as usual, there was a lot of produce available. This is the reason why prices and sales are under pressure."
Supply and demand
"For the summer, I do not really have any prospects, but I hope that things get better. In this regard, we are completely dependent on the weather. If we get a hot summer, then supply will be high and demand will drop, but if the summer is cold, there will be less supply and more demand, which would be better for us," states Cees. "Pak choi is still not a vegetable people eat at BBQ's. We have also observed that supply has recently grown, as more and more growers are trying new crops because the yield of traditional ones has considerably dropped in recent years. This leads to oversupply, which then results in those products also becoming unprofitable. The trick is to keep a good balance between supply and demand, but that's very difficult."
"Lately there has been a greater demand for bok choi, which has been covered by growers. Bok choi is also becoming more and more present in regular supermarkets. We collaborate with Nature's Pride in order to approach these markets. There is a learning curve and in the beginning it is a little difficult, but hopefully we will obtain good results! We will now see whether it will be purchased in stores," said the grower.
"At the moment, growth has been stabilising a bit. This is due to the cold nights and overcast weather of recent days. We hope the market will recover some stability, as that would be good for all parties. It is all down to waiting to see what is going to happen. The market remains small and easily saturated. If there is a shortage of a particular product, it becomes generalised; growth is the same for everyone. We all have to deal with the weather conditions. From the end of the week, summer temperatures are once again expected. In that case, supply will stay high and prices will be under pressure," predicts Cees.
New tests
"This year we have been conducting some tests at the request of our customers. We have to see what comes out of them. Every year, our goal is to introduce new products or enhance our range with new varieties to meet consumer demands even better," says Cees. He sees no immediate opportunities for the overseas exports of Asian vegetables because of the long freight and high logistics costs. "But if there is demand from these countries, we will of course see what we can do!"
For more information:
Cees Visser
Asian Crop
Ebberstraat 12
5941 NN Velden, The Netherlands
Mob: 06-12800218
Fax: 077-4721940
[email protected]
www.asiancrop.nl
Asian Crop
Ebberstraat 12
5941 NN Velden, The Netherlands
Mob: 06-12800218
Fax: 077-4721940
[email protected]
www.asiancrop.nl
