It is hard work in the tomato greenhouses this summer with the heat, but growers are being compensated at the moment. Tomato prices rose sharply last week. At €1.36 per kilo for loose tomatoes and €1.40 per kilo for vine tomatoes, average auction prices at the Federation of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives reached their highest level since 2021, a year of price extremes during the corona crisis.
© Verbond van Belgische Tuinbouwcoöperaties (VBT)
Cucumber prices are also at a good level, but they do not match last year's high prices.
© Verbond van Belgische Tuinbouwcoöperaties (VBT)
Prices for yellow and red peppers also rose sharply in week 33. Demand for tomatoes and especially red peppers is reported from Spain. Exporting tomatoes to Spain in the summer has been common for some time, largely due to the favorable climate in the south and the local growing conditions. In pepper cultivation, heat is also causing problems for Spanish growers, while disease and pest pressure add to the challenges and create demand for peppers from Belgium. Demand is currently holding, according to BelOrta, one of the VBT cooperatives.
© Verbond van Belgische Tuinbouwcoöperaties (VBT)
The lettuce market is less favorable. Prices have been below the five-year average all summer, although in week 33 they rose slightly to a still modest average of €0.35 per head.
© Verbond van Belgische Tuinbouwcoöperaties (VBT)
View the full VBT price chart for week 33 here. Want to see the price charts wholesale? You can do so on the Flemish Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries ' agricultural figures page.