Weekly Berries Market Updates
Last week was marked by a significant change in market fundamentals. In markets across Europe, the demand for berries has started to increase in the context of the upcoming Easter season, while the supply of related products has also increased significantly.
Our representatives in the wholesale markets in Germany and the Rungis market in France report sharp increases in the supply of southern European strawberries, mainly of Italian and Greek origin. Following the previous week's movement, this resulted in a significant drop in their prices. The established alternatives found in Spanish and Dutch produce also had to be offered at lower prices to relieve the respective stocks.
This is is verified using data shared by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the French Market News Network which we showcase below.
Operators from the aforementioned wholesale markets also mentioned they expect fresh berry produce of central and northern European origin (like from Belgium and the Netherlands) to start flooding the European wholesale markets in the coming months. This will shift the market conditions currently dominated by imported produce from countries like Morocco and Latin America and will lead to a generalized increase in berries availability across Europe.
Our representatives also reported that operators are already facing increasing demand for berries, especially strawberries, ahead of the Easter holiday season. This, however, has yet to have a significant impact on available stocks due to the movements described above, so even if price tensions arise, we do not expect them to be important. The opposite is expected regarding raspberries, which are relatively scarce in European markets as it typically happens during the interlude between the winter and spring seasons.
On Saturday we commemorate the UN-recognized International Day of Zero Waste. This day serves as a celebration of the vast value emminent in efficient waste management across all sectors of the economy. The agricultural sector is one in which this has even greater weight, due to its historically high environmental impact. This negative effect rises not just from the activities revolving around primary production, but from all activities across the various links of agricultural value chains; from production and logistics, to marketing and processing.
As part of the current climate crisis impacting all economic sectors across the world, it is necessary to take steps toward reducing waste and managing the byproducts of various activities across supply chains in a cyclical manner. It is encouraging to see that decisions have been made on a supranational level; in the previous week, we mentioned how the European Commission has come to an agreement requiring from member states to decisively reduce the use of plastic in fresh produce packaging.
The berries segment lies at the epicenter of the current problematic packaging situation, due to the very delicate nature of the corresponding fruit offerings. At the same time, this issue does not only relate to envirnomental impact; in recent years, end consumers worldwide have been growing increasingly environmentally conscious. As a result, B2B operators from both the supply and the demand sides of the market will need to take the need for more efficient waste management into account.
The thing is, however, that occasional legislative initiatives are not enough to bring forth sustained long-term change. What we want to see is the whole sector embracing similar initiatives at the operator level. If we were just to ban wasteful practices, that would greatly increase production costs, lower demand quantities, and at the end just harm primary producers.
So what we need are cost-effective and sustainable solutions with a long-term view. The foodtech sector is striving to serve this cause, and we at Wikifarmer are proud to be an active member of this segment. To expand on the positive social, environmental and economic benefits of foodtech innovations, we have recently published a dedicated edition.