"In fact, all onions are too expensive this season"

If there was an upturn in the onion market last week, this week it has again fallen. "Some say it is because of the high prices, another because it is carnival, but the fact is that it has been changeable all season," said Jan Franje of sorting packing station Franje Onions. "It could be busy next week but I don't expect it, but I also didn't expect last week."

The current bale price varies between 18.50 and 22 cent. "I get sufficient supply from the farmers, but for a high price. Everybody has 20 cent in their head. It is a fact that onions have been expensive all season. As far as I'm aware, nobody has earned that since October. Supplies are historically low but I don't know if that will remain so and what I do know is that we have been working for nothing for a long time."

"We have done ok with the organic onions. Around this time there is traditionally more demand for organic onions in Europe because their own crop arrives, however, next week Egypt's first organic onions arrive, really early," concludes John. "I hope that next week we can plant some big onion bulbs, last year we were very late. It would be nice to be very early but it is still very wet throughout the country."