Bejo Zaden Belgium was at the Interpom | Primeurs with one of the new carrot varieties, Istanbul. “The Istanbul variety isn’t sensitive to getting a green top wher the leaves start,” says Dirk Vanparys of Bejo Zaden Belgium. “Because of this, a larger part of the carrot can be used and harvest losses are minimised. The Istanbul variety is very suitable for modern times. Nowadays, food waste is being scrutinised by the media, and more and more consumers are worried about this.”

Yellow carrots
“Nowadays, carrots are still an unprecedentedly popular product in processing and consumption. The orange colour of the carrot is fairly unique in the range of vegetables, but the neutral sweet flavour of carrots also makes it a popular product among adults and children,” Dirk continues. “Besides the orange carrot, we’re seeing demand for coloured carrots increasing. Demand for yellow carrot in particular is steadily increasing. Yellow, just like orange, is a fairly unique colour among vegetables, and people can use them for all sorts of dishes. The yellow colour doesn’t really stain, unlike the red of beets or cabbages. It’s therefore ideal for a vegetable mix. Besides, sunny yellow gives plates a cheerful look.”

Convenience 
In addition to demand for yellow carrots, Bejo Zaden also sees demand for convenience products increasing. “Snack carrots are a good example of this. It’s an easy product and can be eaten raw. Snack carrots also respond to the current health trends, for which vegetables are at the top of the food pyramid,” Dirk says. “Prices for carrots are good, despite the difficult summer. If you could irrigate well, you’ll be rewarded. It’s good to see we can still have a good season, despite low expectations.”