Spain: Castile-La Mancha's onions enter South American market

Castile-La Mancha's onion storage chambers are starting to run out of stock and it will be necessary to wait for the new Medio Grano onion harvest in July and the Grano de Oro and Reca in August.

"In general terms, we have had a satisfactory campaign with good quality produce. Production volumes have been similar to last year's, as well as the calibres obtained with each variety."

Despite prices falling to slightly lower levels than last season, they could be considered reasonable and have remained stable throughout the entire campaign. "Price variation has been minimal, and although a slight upturn is being registered at the moment due to the use of onions from refrigerated chambers, the price inflation is still small."

Eduardo Pérez and José Antonio Cifuentes at the stand of Cebollas Cifuentes, accompanied by an Algerian importer

Cebollas Cifuentes' attendance to various international fairs has allowed it to expand its customer base and enter new markets. The company has managed to introduce its products into the Latin American market, taking advantage of the gaps left by large producers in the area, such as Argentina or Chile.

"Competition is fierce in South America, as there are large supplies of onions of a similar quality to ours with lower production costs. South America also imports from the Netherlands, but Dutch onions have different characteristics and qualities. Chilean onions could be the most similar to Spain's, which is why the European markets that consume our produce import from Chile during the off-season," explains Eduardo.

The excellent international reputation of Castile-La Mancha's onions, identified through the Collective Quality Brand "Cebolla de la Mancha", make the opening of new markets a lot easier.

Cebollas Cifuentes works with all kinds of varieties, including the Spring and Babosa. "Since the very beginning, our company has focused mostly on the production of Grano onions, although it is essential to be able to meet the needs of numerous types of clients, offering them a wide range of quality services."

For more information:
Eduardo Pérez
Productos Hortícolas El Hondo, S.L
02640 Almansa (Albacete). España
T: +34 967 582356
export@cebollascifuentes.es
www.cebollascifentes.es