Earlier this week the Fruit and vegetable auction BelOrta at Sint-Katelijne-Waver, in Antwerp Province took stock of 2023. BelOrta’s director Philippe Appeltans told VRT News that "It was an erratic year as regards climate, and also a year with high energy prices and geopolitical challenges". Too much rain was a tragedy for asparagus, leek and chicory growers here in Belgium, while the very hot summer in southern Europe provided opportunities for Belgian tomato growers.
Why do we find Belgian tomatoes on the shelves of shops in Spain and Greece?
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2023 was a mixed year for fruit and vegetable growers at the BelOrta auction in Sint-Katelijne-Waver. Heavy rain posed a problem for outdoor crops such as asparagus, leeks and chicory roots. Meanwhile, the high energy prices at the beginning of the year made life difficult for growers of greenhouse crops such as cucumbers, courgettes and tomatoes.
"The poor summer meant that consumers also bought different kinds of fruit than they otherwise would have. Just when our melons were ripe for picking, it rained heavily. Our growers were stuck with their fruit. People prefer to eat apples or pears in grey rainy weather."
Belgian tomatoes in southern Europe
Climatic changes sometimes also provide opportunities for local growers. "Our Belgian tomatoes followed our tourists in 2023," Mr Appeltans said.
"It was too hot and dry in southern Europe for the local tomato crop. As a result, distributors in Spain, Greece and the Balkans bought our tomatoes instead and these ended up in shops there. The Germany also bought more Belgian tomatoes last summer because they couldn't get any from Spanish growers.
Geopolitical tensions with Russia continue to have an impact in Flemish greenhouses. "We first had the high energy prices, then came the trade embargo. That means a big producer like Turkey can no longer sell its fruit and vegetables there and now sells its produce on the European market, increasing competition," Mr Appeltans told VRT News.
Uncertainty over licences and pesticides
Besides climate and geopolitics, BelOrta sees additional challenges for the coming year. "The planning permission issue obviously also plays a role in our sector. Just try building a new greenhouse in Flanders”.
There are also the stricter pesticide regulations that Europe wants to impose. In a wet climate like ours, this will affect the availability of certain fruits and vegetables. For example, cherry growing, which is very difficult."
BelOrta is a cooperative of 1,200 growers of fruit and vegetables from all over Flanders. It is based in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, near Mechelen. The auction had an annual turnover of 626 million euro in 2023.