Weekly Berries Market Updates
Last week, Wikifarmer representatives observed contrasting dynamics in the main European wholesale markets we are active in, namely markets around Germany and the Rungis market in France. Operators still regard Italian berries as having the highest available quality. However, attempts by some sellers of Italian strawberries and Dutch greenhouse berries to capitalize on this perception by seeking inflated prices ultimately proved unsuccessful. This is illustrated by the following snapshot of European strawberry offerings in the German market, as shared by the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
This resulted in a shift in commercial activity, with demand primarily focusing on strawberries and other berries originating from Spain, whose prices continued along the negative trendline, and other Southern European countries. The supply situation for raspberries and blueberries remains unstable, with Moroccan imports currently meeting the bulk demand. However, cautious optimism exists regarding the anticipated influx of berries from Latin America, primarily Mexico, in a few weeks. All previous movements are clear in the mean prices in the Rungis market showcased below:
This week, we were happy to visit HortiContact, a trade fair organized by and for the historically ground-breaking Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector. The goal of the event is to pay tribute and share the advancements made in the sector by companies and research organizations helping to shape a more sustainable and nutritionally safe future for humanity, addressing the challenges that arise from climate change and the rapidly growing world population.
This year's nominated innovations testify to the great contribution of FoodTech in redefining all stages of agri-food value chains. Examples included the development of biodegradable textiles for enhanced water efficiency and protection in plant propagation materials, AI-driven sensor systems that constantly monitor crops' root health and water needs in response to shifting weather patterns, and even solutions that convert farmers' water storage into a source of thermal energy.
Such developments are known to take place in the Netherlands, boosting the efficiency and competitiveness of its primary and secondary sector endeavors and allowing such a small (in total surface) country to achieve very high agricultural export values, showing the way to the rest of Europe and the world.