Early carrots are difficult to obtain at the moment. Due to the dry spring, the crop is later than normal and the first yields are disappointing. The scarce supply ensures a solid price.
At the beginning of July it is still remarkably quiet in the carrot trade. Now the old harvest has been completely eliminated, it takes a lot of scrambling to get supply. Traders notice this. In Limburg, there is clearing going on, but the early batches are also clearly later and the yields are not left over. Add to that a reduced supply from abroad. Enough ingredients for a quiet start to a new season.
"The carrots are just later this year," notes Joost Litjens of Bejo Zaden. According to him, this is partly due to the generally later sowing of the early carrots, due to wet conditions until mid-March. On the other hand, the dry and poor spring in combination with low humidity has slowed down development. "Early carrots were already harvested in the Flevopolder at this time last year. I expect this will only be the case in 2 weeks."
Fewer kilos
In Limburg, where the early carrots are the first to emerge from the ground, harvesting is now underway. However, the effects of the difficult growing season are also noticeable there. Yields are reported around 45 to 50 tons per hectare, while insiders say 65 to 70 tons is normal for this time of year.
This creates some scarcity in the domestic carrot supply, for which there is no immediate adequate alternative. The situation in the Netherlands is not unique. Surrounding countries such as Belgium, Germany and France have also experienced extreme drought. Moreover, the supply from Spain is lower than usual. A mediocre season in 2019 was reason for a shrinkage of the area.
Shrinkage of Dutch area
The area in the Netherlands is also expected to shrink this year. The provisional acreage figures, published by Statistics Netherlands, show a shrinkage of 6,5% for winter carrots and 2,6% for wax carrots. This brings the total carrot area in the Netherlands to 9.340 hectares. That is 340 hectares less compared to 2019 (-9%).
Gap in supply
The current weather conditions are favorable for the development of the carrot. It is expected that more Dutch offerings will be released within the next 3 weeks. “We are adding kilos every day,” Litjens agrees. "Quite a bit of rain has fallen, so we see the carrot - just like the onions - improving every week."
Nevertheless, according to Litjens, there is a significant gap between carrots grown under plastic and regular cultivation. A trader expects that the first carrot in Zeeland, which is normally harvested in the third week of July, will only become available in August. According to him, it also takes time in other growing regions before the crop recovers from the difficult spring and produces sufficient weight.
High carrot price
The fact that the remains of the old harvest have been removed in June ensures that the carrot market starts the new season with a clean slate. The scarce supply pushes the price up. According to traders, the current carrot price fluctuates between €25 and €30 per 100 kilos for B-carrot and €28 to €35 per 100 kilos for C-carrot. In short, strong prices and that is in principle good news for growers. Only then they must have something to sell.