Supply and demand stagnate, prices stable
The seasonal change is on our doorstep. "We are currently in the transitional phase between domestic…The seasonal change is on our doorstep. "We are currently in the transitional phase between domestic products and imported products," a German vegetable trader and importer from Hamburg explains. "German lettuces will be available for the entirety of next week at any rate. Afterwards, the offers will dramatically shrink and the imported lettuces will dominate the market."
But the seasonal change is making itself noticeable on the market right now as well. The range of German lettuces has already shrunk noticeably. Countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands dominate. "But from Spain, the first offers are arriving as well," says the wholesale trader.
The expert narrates the situation: "In the phase of seasonal change, business is always a bit difficult or sluggish. Price-wise, the market is altogether stable and balanced. Supply and demand are stagnating at a low level. This has kept the prices stable until now - without bigger oscillations up or down."
The wholesale trader explains the weak demand as such: "On one hand, the cooler weather is knocking demand down, and on the other hand, many federal states currently have fall holidays. That is why the market is currently quiet." The importer and wholesale trader hopes, that demand will draw upward again after the holidays. Nevertheless, he believes that the market will remain somewhat calmer in the coming months as well: "The months of November and December are generally calm in the lettuce area. Only right before Christmas the market pulls upward again."