A consequence of the very sunny weather we are experiencing: the fruit and vegetable harvests are very abundant. For example, there are 10 to 20% more tomatoes from Belgian producers, but no one to buy them.
Demand is down sharply. Consequence: producers sell off prices.
He had never had so many tomatoes. “Yesterday we picked 500 kg of tomatoes and I still think I’ll pick a ton this week”says Bernard, a farmer from Marbais.
Thanks to the sun, his harvest is exceptional this year. “This persistent heat has only accelerated our productions”, he points out.
There is a large stock that Bernard cannot sell. Its increase in production is accompanied by a decrease in purchases. “We did a great action on Facebook by announcing a great promotion, that the temperatures were going to be high… That it was time to make their grout and that we would help them with the price at the same time.”
Bernard is forced to organize actions and reduce his prices to avoid throwing. The observation is general: sales of fresh fruits and vegetables have been declining for several months.
“Demand is lower this year. The current context is not very pleasant, the international context is quite stressful, the cost of living is increasing, Belgians may have gone on vacation more…”, adds Alain Delvigne, adviser at the interprofessional market gardening centre. “But this problem has been going on since May.”
The loss is huge for farmers, especially those who produce organic. Some fear that they will not survive in the coming months.
