It just won't go smoothly with the carrot trade. This week, according to several traders, it seems to be even more difficult than the last few weeks. There was hardly any extra demand, while there was almost even more supply from growers who are busy harvesting.
Growers and traders are very critical of what they drive in the refrigeration. At even the smallest defect they hesitate and leave the carrot for a while and try to find another destination for it.
Too hot for the beautiful
The relatively high outside temperatures of the last few weeks are unfavorable for the harvest of the storage carrot. Harvesting the carrots at lower temperatures (somewhere between 0 and 10 degrees) results in less loss of quality at the beginning of the storage period. However, that is not the biggest problem. Colder harvesting also requires less energy for cooling. Due to the high energy prices, this is also not unimportant when considering when to harvest. But waiting for a long time before harvesting is also not without risk for the farmer. The later in the season, the greater the chance of structural damage to the land during harvest. The greater the risk that the carrot cannot be harvested due to, for example, early frost or an impassable field due to wet conditions.
Price under pressure
Prices are coming under even more pressure due to the large supply and lagging demand. The DCA Quotation for B carrot is €6 per 100 kilos. That is a €0,50 lower than last week. The range is between €5 and €7 per 100 kilos, but with an occasional downward peak. C-peen is also €0,50 lower and amounts to €5,50 per 100 kilos. The bandwidth is between €4 and €7 per 100 kilos, with most carrots being traded at the lower end of the quote.