The price of carrots is rising and again making significant strides, but there is still great variation in both price and quality. Will the carrot price exceed the €300 limit?
Last week B-carrot was traded for €250 to €275 per box, compared to 1 month back the price has increased by almost €50 per box. However, the prices mentioned are the top of the market, because traders indicate a price range of €150 to €250 per box.
Expectations are high due to the recent price increases. Can the price still go to €300 per box? Traders expect that this will certainly happen and this amount could even be paid in the short term. There are 2 factors that play a role in this.
2 factors
First of all, we are quickly running out of carrot supplies in the Netherlands; Things are going fast, especially with good quality carrots. In addition, there is demand from almost all countries surrounding the Netherlands. There is good demand from Eastern Europe and Finland, and high prices are paid for the carrot in Italy.
In the same breath, traders also urge caution. There will be many public holidays in Europe over the next 1 weeks, and in anticipation of this, trading has been busy. However, they expect things to calm down in the near future. The €2 per box (and maybe even €250 per box) is only paid for top quality
On the other hand, there is a lot of poor quality carrot. According to traders, business is also done for €50 per box. They also believe that the carrot is being held for too long on a speculative basis.
High demand for carrots
Trade fair leader Maas van de Heuvel (LNCN) says that the mood is steady and that there is a lot of demand for carrots, but there are almost no carrots available. The price of carrots is moving in the range of €26 to €35, an increase of €1,50 compared to the previous week.
The Middenmeer exchange recorded unchanged €17 to €20 per 25 kilos in week 100. In week 16, the agricultural fair LNCN recorded between €25 and €30 per kilo for B-carrot, €2 more than the week before.
Next season
Insiders emphasize that carrot quality must be raised to a higher level in order to remain attractive to buyers abroad. The current season, with a lot of poor quality product, is detrimental to the sector. Sowing later can ensure better quality, the advice is given.