The mood is shifting on the carrot market. It is certainly not busy in the first days of the new year, but on the other hand, growers are only giving limited supply. That is causing tension.
Several rinsers are closed or running at a slower pace due to the Christmas holidays. That is not a problem either, because the demand for carrots from abroad is not such that there needs to be a full tank of rinsing.
The trade between growers and washers is tough. There is still some supply of carrots from the field, but the largest part (as far as there is any trade) concerns carrots from the barn. Growers dare to ask a bit more for these. The quality of these carrots is a point of attention here. If the crop has just been put in, you can come across good carrots. Lots that have been in the barn for five weeks or so do deteriorate. Then buyers easily say: "Just leave them there for a while and the grower will come by himself".
Practically no carrots are offered from the cold store by the growers. €15 was offered for the carrots from the field, so selling them from the cold store at the same price is very much against nature. In order to cover the costs of storing, re-cooling and storing, the price still has to make a big step. With the reports about quality problems in carrots in Eastern Europe, it is not unthinkable that the price will make steps. It is just a pity that Germany - where they have harvested quite well - is in between. Last season, buyers from Germany brought life to the Dutch market, but that does not seem to be the case this season.
The DCA listing for carrots is rising this week to €12 to €15 per 100 kilos. Some growers want €100 per crate and if the carrots are good and 650 kilos are flushed from a crate, buyers will go along with that. Not much trading is done for this money, by the way.
Read here is the explanation from DCA Market Intelligence on the new quotations.