The huge European crop has created a glut of product available for export from Europe. The continent's onion shippers have found markets for their products in the Caribbean and South America, which has squeezed out American onion exports there.“The onion export market right now is not very good because there are so many onions out there,” said Steve Brennan of F.C. Bloxom Company. The huge crops are now being shipped to markets in the Caribbean and South America, where exporters like Bloxom usually send their onions. That's made for increased competition and lower prices.
“Prices down there for a fifty-pound carton of yellow onions were around $13.00 last year,” noted Brennan. “This year, we're looking at a deal with prices around $6.00 per carton.” Part of the reason American exporters are faring so badly down there right now is that their freight costs are higher than those for European exporters. That's severely limited the amount of onions exported to the Caribbean and South America this season.
“We were sending anywhere between five and seven loads a week last year,” said Brennan. “This year, we're sending one load every other week. We don't have avenues to export down there, which is increasing domestic supplies.”
For more information:
Steve Brennan
F.C. Bloxom Company
+1 206 624 1000