There are still a lot of questions surrounding the current French endive campaign. Although harvesting resumed at the end of last week (delays due to flooding), the recent rains have once again halted the work of endive producers. “We are clearly behind schedule. The cycle has progressed well, but not everything is in yet. As of November 28th, the rain had stopped, so harvesting should resume. But there are some concerns about the quality of the harvest. Will the extremely humid conditions have a negative effect on the upcoming season? Some roots could not be harvested in time, so they are larger, which could have an impact on the campaign in the coming months.”

High prices for the season
Regarding the marketing of the first volumes, “price levels are high for this time of year.” This is due to a somewhat undersupplied market. “Supply is not keeping up with the demand, which is putting pressure on the stocks and, therefore, on prices. The situation is similar in neighboring countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands.”

Towards a longer campaign?
“Today, there is concern about the availability of products due to the harvest delays. Some growers have been forced to put into production batches of varieties that were not intended for early transplanting, but they had no choice due to the lack of availability. This delay in harvesting “could create a longer campaign, and growers could end up with a season that is completely out of sync.”

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com