As smooth as the harvesting of carrots goes, so difficult is the trade. The demand for carrots from Eastern Europe is limited and that means that washers simply do not need that many carrots to process directly. What is bought is therefore mostly intended for cooling.
It's a bit mixed up on the carrot market. Some growers are still looking for a new owner for nice carrots that can go straight into storage, others have finished harvesting and have some left that no longer fits in the cooling and there is supply of inferior carrots that have to go as soon as possible. It seems like we are a month ahead in that respect.
gun factor
On the demand side, we are not a month ahead. Some washers do some in Africa, but that does not make a difference in terms of volumes. In Eastern Europe, you can sell carrots if the price is right. That is where the problem lies. There is too little margin for washers between what growers ask and what is made in the bale. Some processors are not impressed by this and think: The demand will come by itself at the end of November. Other washers want to keep operating at all costs, whether or not they earn anything. "They are taking the bread out of each other's mouths", according to one washer.
The DCA listing for b and c carrots remains the same this week at €14 to €15 per 100 kilos. This concerns the good carrots that are bought to put in the cooling. If the carrot has to be rinsed immediately because it cannot go into the cooling, the price will quickly drop a few euros. If there is really something wrong with the carrot, it will be very difficult to find a buyer.
Read here is the explanation from DCA Market Intelligence on the new quotations.