Dutch tomato production is growing, affecting producers on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal now raises the alarm. Portuguese exports to Spain, compared to the previous season, are in dire straits. The harvest season is not yet over, but some already speak of a horrendous year.
“The low Dutch prices directly influence our price levels, as well as our export to Spain," complains Telmo Rodrigues, CEO of Hortipor. “Holland offers tomatoes for as low as 40 cents per kilo. With such prices, Spain rather buys from the Netherlands, instead of its own peninsula.”
Rodrigues states he has no choice but to lower prices and aim for local markets. “We also reduced the cost of logistics and packaging," he says. In Holland, many former pepper producers switched to the production of tomatoes this season, because of the bad pepper season last year and the advice of the Dutch Rabobank not to invest in the California pepper but in other horticultural products.
Source: fyh.es