As the northern hemisphere enters spring, strawberry markets in various countries have also entered a new stage. In the Netherlands, with the emergence of local supply opportunities, the market is shifting from Spanish strawberries to Dutch strawberries. Germany still mainly imports strawberries from southern Europe, but the first batch of German greenhouse strawberries have been picked, and prices are expected to be good. In France, competition from cheaper Moroccan and Spanish strawberries has put pressure on local production. In Italy, low temperatures are affecting the ripening of strawberries, and farmers are concerned that the yield of many varieties may be lower than their potential. Meanwhile, in China, strawberry exports are increasing, with new pink and white varieties entering the market, despite a significant decrease in prices compared to last year. In North America, due to weather conditions causing delays in production in California, it is expected that strawberry supply will be limited, and although consumer spending may change, prices remain firm.
Netherlands: Retail Market Shifts to Local Strawberries
The Dutch strawberry market is currently in a transitional stage from southern European products to Dutch products. With the transition from cold weather to warm weather, the quality of Spanish strawberries is declining, and the market is indeed in a transitional stage. The production of strawberries in the Netherlands is currently rebounding. Production began with the Sonnation and Malling varieties, and this week the regular fruit variety Elsanta also began to be produced. The demand before Easter last week was very good, with a price of 35 euros for 10 boxes of 500g packaging. At the same time, prices are declining slightly every day, but a Dutch fruit trader said that it is not ruled out that if the retail industry starts to purchase large quantities of Dutch products, prices will rebound. It is expected that the weather will improve next week, and traditionally, the first is an increase in demand, followed by an increase in quantity
Belgium: Strawberry production will start next week
In the past few weeks, there have been some strawberry supplies from Belgium and the Netherlands on the market, but after a very difficult winter, this season will truly take off next week. We need to wait for a while this week, but next week we will see a surge in strawberry production in our region, "said a Belgian trader. Due to the fact that the weather is actually a bit too cold for strawberry consumption, prices are currently at their highest level. I hope that as sales increase in the coming weeks, prices will remain stable
When production reaches full capacity, it seems that there is indeed room for local strawberry supply in the market. At present, there is virtually no competition from Spanish strawberries. Moreover, Spanish strawberries seem to be experiencing quality issues. Last year Belgian strawberries had to mature too quickly, but partly due to the hard work of growers. In fact, this year's fruit has enough time to mature, and this year's Belgian strawberries are very delicious
Germany: The price of greenhouse strawberries is expected to rise
Before the official start of domestic harvest, German traders mainly imported strawberries from southern Europe. At present, the main focus is on Spanish fruits, although the degree is different from previous years. Greece and Italy followed closely in terms of shipments. Greenhouse products from the Netherlands, Belgium, and local markets have been supplied, but they are clearly more expensive than competing products from the south.
In week 11, the first batch of German greenhouse strawberries of this season are ready for harvesting. The quality of early maturing strawberries is good, but the yield is still low. Due to the extremely low temperature in Spain, there will be very few agricultural products on the market, especially in the early stages of the production season. That is why we are optimistic that greenhouse products can achieve good prices, "emphasized a local producer.
France: Increased competition from Spanish strawberries
Although some regions such as the Dordogne and Rh ô ne Alpes regions in France are entering the strawberry season, other regions such as Lot et Garonne, Brittany, or the Southeast are experiencing peak production of Gariguette and Cl é ry varieties. Strawberries are usually widely consumed in the week before Easter, "said one operator. Sunny days are beneficial for consumption. In terms of production, there was no heat wave like last year, so the production distribution was good. Sales after Easter can sometimes be worrying, but currently demand is not expected to weaken.
However, French strawberries are facing competition. French strawberries are more expensive than Moroccan or Spanish strawberries, making it difficult to find a place on supermarket shelves. We have to fight hard at the beginning of the production season because supermarkets are selling French strawberries slowly. Fortunately, we have heard that the situation has improved. Now, we have some concerns about this week as Spanish strawberry production will soon reach its peak and a large amount of products will be shipped to France
Italy: Low temperatures slow down maturity during peak demand periods
The weather trends that have emerged in recent weeks have been detrimental to strawberry growers in southern Italy as they are forced to accept limited product supply during times of maximum demand. In fact, low temperatures slow down the ripening of fruits, thus keeping the prices of fruits on pallets active.
According to some farmers in the Basilicata region, the characteristic of Easter celebration sales is a clearly limited supply, which has never occurred in past sales. In the past few months, strawberry crops have experienced various pressures due to the fluctuating weather since the planting period, which does not match the typical temperature of the season. After a mild and long-lasting autumn, temperatures have dropped frequently since late January 2023. Therefore, it is expected that in the coming weeks, even if the weather stabilizes, the yield of many varieties may be lower than their potential.
According to data from the GfK Consumer Group, as of the last year of February 2023, nearly 17 million Italian households had purchased strawberries at least once, accounting for over 66%. The average quantity of each procurement activity has slightly decreased: from 730 grams in the year ended February 2021 to approximately 690 grams in the past twelve months.
Spain: Strawberry growers' goal is to restore production and retail losses in May
In the first stage of the Huelva strawberry season, producers encountered various problems, as announced by the Huelva Strawberry Producers and Exporters Association two weeks ago, Freshuelva resulted in a 30% decrease in production compared to the previous season's registered production at the same time. At present, the decrease is about 15%.
We still have a few months left, and we hope the production season can even be extended to May because our climate has greatly improved, which will also affect the quality of our fruits. May is coming, which is a very important month, and we can restore production and some of the lost production in retail.
As they pointed out in Freshuelva, the decline in production "has become quite common as weather conditions have affected the entire Mediterranean basin, but this has not led to market shortages
Retailers must also be aware of specific situations that exceed any predictions. We work very hard to retain our customers and correct any adverse situations that may arise, such as experiencing a decline in production since sales began
It should be remembered that during the strawberry planting stage, 20% of the seedlings must be replanted, which results in a delay in the production of one fifth of the strawberries planted in the province. This mainly involves the production cycle being clearly defined as early varieties. The main cause of seedling death during the sowing period is overheating weather. Indeed, the regulations for the use of plant quarantine products have caused us great concern, but we have not yet been affected. At Freshuelva, we are working together with the government and the Andalusian military government to adapt to the new situation, and even look forward to finding the most sustainable alternatives to adapt to new regulations and help us ensure the health of crops, which is what we all want
Berries, led by strawberries, are of indisputable importance to Huelva Province, which concentrates 98% of national production and accounts for nearly 30% of European production. The latest data shared by Extenda shows that Andalusia broke the record for red fruit exports in the first nine months of 2022, thanks to a year-on-year growth of 3.2%, with sales reaching 1.3 billion euros, the highest number in history during this period. Specifically, the total export value of strawberries is 562 million euros.
China: Strawberry exports continue to grow, despite a low base
China is one of the world's leading strawberry producing countries, with domestic production accounting for a significant portion of global production. Strawberry production in China is concentrated in the eastern and southern regions, with main production areas including Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces. Strawberry cultivation in China generally has the characteristics of high yield, low price, and relatively short growth season. The planting area of strawberries in China has been increasing year by year. The planting area was approximately 80000 hectares in 2011 and increased to 140000 hectares in 2021, with Russia and Vietnam being its main export markets.
In recent years, new pink and white strawberries have made their debut in the market. Dandong is located in Northeast China and is the center of protected strawberry cultivation. Data shows that the planting area of strawberries in Dandong is about 6700 hectares, with an annual yield of 150000 tons. The new varieties include the white strawberry variety Dream Cherry and Angel 8, as well as the pink strawberry variety Pink. The Dream Cherry variety cultivated by Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2022 has a unique appearance and delicate taste. Its price is higher than ordinary red strawberries in major supermarkets across the country such as Tmall and JD.com online. At the beginning of the season, the prices of these special strawberry varieties decrease. The poor market response has greatly affected its selling price. For example, in March last year, the purchase price of Angel 8 white strawberry variety was close to 30 yuan/box, but the purchase price for the same period this year has dropped to 8-17 yuan/box.
North America: Delayed supply of strawberries in California limits supply quantity
Strawberry supply is currently very smooth in North America.
A shipper said, "Florida's supply is on a downward trend, which is usually the case at this time of year." After Hurricane Ian in September last year, the state's production season began relatively late.
It is expected that Florida will continue to transport high-quality berries. We only had the best Florida fields and varieties performing strongly in April, "the shipper said. We have strategically abandoned substandard fields and retained the best plots for additional care and attention. We hope to continue harvesting in Florida until May or until May to fill some of the supply gap
At present, it is usually when large-scale production begins in California. "Unfortunately, due to rainstorm and cold weather, production in California has been greatly delayed, so the output of strawberries has declined significantly. California's output is several weeks behind," the shipper said.
At present, the supply will still be limited, but it will continue to increase week by week. We hope that the supply from California will stabilize from early to mid May, "the shipper added.
The supply of strawberries from central Mexico to the United States is also about to end. Another shipper said, "Due to the storm in California, the industry has delayed the transportation of strawberries from central Mexico." The production season in the region is four to six weeks later than normal.
In short, the pricing of strawberries remains firm. Although we haven't seen it yet, there are still concerns that consumers may be more cautious when shopping if the economic development slows down significantly.
Australia: Strawberry industry will focus on varieties that robots can harvest
The Australian strawberry industry is about to launch a new project, a plan to develop varieties that can be easily picked by robots. This $11.5 million, four-year project is led by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAFQ) and carried out by Hort Innovation. The goal of the scientists is to integrate the favorite flavor, color, and aroma characteristics of Australians with high-quality single stem strawberry varieties from around the world, making it perfect for robot harvesting. Recent data shows that the horticultural workforce in Australia has decreased by 20% in the past three years, resulting in 40% of Australian growers adopting advanced machinery. A leading plant breeder from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries stated that the plan will reduce the time required for picking and packaging strawberries, thereby bringing more profitable results to growers. She explained, "The time it takes to pick a small strawberry and a large strawberry is the same. The focus of this breeding plan is to grow fruits of the same size on unbranched single stems, which consumers like. This means that fruits can be picked faster - whether through traditional methods or automation
