The persistent drought is causing headaches for Belgian carrot growers. The harvest can almost only take place on the irrigated fields and the kilos that are subsequently removed from the land are quite disappointing. In addition, exports to overseas areas, just like in the Netherlands, are not going well.
The harvest of early carrots (end of June/beginning of July) continues, but due to the persistent drought it is almost only possible on irrigated plots. This situation is not standard for carrot growers in Belgium and is therefore somewhat unforeseen. "The harvest of the industrial carrot, on the other hand, has not yet started. Traditionally, this carrot is harvested at the end of October/beginning of November," says Dirk Vanparys, sales manager at Bejo Zaden Belgium. "Nevertheless, the financial return will be under severe pressure, because the stock is very thin in many places and many growing days were lost in the beginning."
The 'Amsterdam baking types' have now largely been cleared up. Still, the results are nothing to write home about. "Due to the many problems with aphid pressure, viruses and the fierce heat in early/mid August (even on irrigated plots), the yield of this variety is also lagging behind," says Vanparys.
Drought causes quality problems
Less precipitation has fallen in Belgium in recent weeks than in the Netherlands. "The result is that growth in many places is limited to 'staying alive' of the carrot," Vanparys explained at the time. Dutch traders also see that there are major problems with the carrot in Belgium. They announced last week that virtually no kilos are being added. According to Vanparys, you can even see that the crop is limp on the lighter soils. will droop. "There is powdery mildew in the crop and we also see 'Woolly root aphid' on the hair roots. This allows the carrot to absorb even less water, causing growth to come to a complete standstill."
These are not the only problems caused by the drought. "In many places you see that the carrot is deformed at the bottom due to the hard soil," says Vanparys. The carrot is also less smooth and somewhat ribbed. The problems were early August already visible, but have now worsened. "Some plots that were sown early and suffered from aphid and virus problems remain unchanged, despite fertilization and precipitation in August. There the carrot is short, uniform and pointed."
Export remains difficult
Net like in the Netherlands, exports to overseas destinations are also difficult in Belgium. "For us, this is also partly due to the higher prices. Now that prices are falling slightly, the hope is that more will be possible." Yet the corona crisis also plays a role in this. "The measures regarding the export of carrots sometimes change daily, both in Belgium and in the various export countries. Uncertainty therefore remains a dominant factor in the trade." Sales for the fresh market are going well. However, the extra demand created by the corona crisis has normalized.